Fight or Flight: The last years of peace
by jammin287
Summary: Sequel to Fight or Flight. After being rescued from the Dursleys by Remus and Sirius, Harry finally goes to Hogwarts. Goes through Harry's first three years at school.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1 – The Letter_

The wind blew through the Devon countryside, rattling the open windows of the Tudor house. It still looked the same as it had that day, seven years ago when Sirius had showed it to his best friend. The inside, however, showed how much time had passed. No longer was it the home of four-year-old Harry Potter and his two guardians. It now housed the 11 year old Harry, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, his wife Alex and their two year old daughter, Kura, and of course Harry's 7 year old golden retriever Jethro.

"Harry! There's an owl!" Sirius called, pausing in arranging Kura's breakfast. It was only 7 o'clock, but Harry had woken them all up, absurdly early. A small part of Sirius wanted to scold him, but the dominant part of him was almost as excited as Harry was. It was his 11th birthday today and they were waiting for the owl from Hogwarts. Sirius didn't know how he felt about that; Harry was growing up. For the first time in seven years, he and Harry would be apart for more than a week. But then, Harry would have a great time at Hogwarts; he couldn't deny that.

"Is it…is it from Hogwarts?" Harry called back, already racing down the stairs.

"I don't know, do I? I'm a bit preoccupied" Sirius set the small bowl of porridge on the highchair for Kura, and grabbed the spoon. Kura had developed a keen interest in flinging her food everywhere when she had the spoon, so Sirius had to hold the spoon for her.

"Well it wasn't like I wanted a lie in" Remus' sarcastic voice followed Harry into the room. Harry charged into the kitchen at such high speed that he slipped on the floor. Kura laughed her head off at the sight of her brother on the floor, and Sirius had to try his utmost not to laugh. Remus pulled him to his feet and smirked.

"Glad we could be of use then" Harry retorted. Sirius looked at him and nodded in approval of the quick retort. Harry grinned back and reached towards the owl. "It's from Neville, he says he got his letter" Harry was obviously trying not to sound disappointed that it wasn't his letter, but he did perk up somewhat when he saw the present from Neville.

"Remus where did you put the presents? No Kura, don't do that" Sirius admonished quickly, as the toddler reached towards the bowl of porridge, no doubt to throw it around the room or put it on her head. Remus snorted with amusement at Sirius' worried face.

"I've got them. Happy Birthday Harry" Alex entered the kitchen; arms laden with neatly wrapped parcels. She placed a kiss on Kura's head and placed the parcels on the table.

"Thank you" Harry said, before tearing into the large pile of presents. By the time he'd opened his presents, Harry had had the full Wimbourne Wasps kit, seven miniature Wasps players and tickets to see the Wasps play the Cannons. Sirius had bought four – so Ron could go with them. That had been Ron's secret birthday present; Sirius had bought the tickets in March, but had asked Ron not to say anything to Harry. It hadn't been easy for him, that much had been pretty obvious, but he had managed it.

"So is this what Ron's been bursting to tell me since March?" Harry asked amusedly.

"He never told you though, did he?" Sirius said triumphantly. He then froze as a fistful of porridge hit his face. He'd paid too much attention to Harry and not enough attention to the curly haired toddler in front of him. There was silence in the kitchen for about five seconds, and then the small room exploded with laughter. Sirius tried to look annoyed, but failed as his deep, bark like laugh joined the others.

"Right, I think you can help her with her breakfast now. I don't even like porridge" Sirius said, rising to his feet and wiping the porridge off his face. He was meant to be angry, but one look at his daughter's cherubic face, framed with curly black hair and his heart melted. He couldn't stay angry with that beautiful little girl, especially not when she was still giggling. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Kura's head, and then turned around angrily to face Harry and Remus.

"I suppose you think that was funny, do you?"

Harry was beside himself with amusement, but Remus managed to force out a "yes"

"I can honestly say that was one of the best things I've ever seen. Kura, if you never do anything remotely interesting ever again, I will still love you for doing that"

"Well, I see where I stand in this family" Sirius retorted. He wasn't really annoyed anymore, but he felt like he should play up to it. Alex passed Harry two slices of toast and he sat down, constantly shooting glances out of the window.

"Harry, if you keep looking it's never going to come" Alex warned. Harry looked up and frowned, he was obviously trying not to think about that. Sirius smiled and quickly left the room. He knew that Harry wouldn't leave the kitchen now until the owl came, so he might as well go and get the 'other' present. Dumbledore had given it to Sirius a few years ago to give to Harry. Sirius had kept it back specially for after his letter came.

"That's an owl Harry" Remus announced almost as soon as Sirius re-entered the room. Harry ran to the window and stared at the approaching owl. Sirius rolled his eyes and placed the present on the table, watching with amusement as Harry removed the letter before the owl had landed properly. Patience was most definitely not a virtue that he possessed. He tore open the envelope and scanned the contents, before letting out a whoop of sheer joy.

"This is it. I'm going to Hogwarts!" Harry shouted happily, dancing with sheer joy. Sirius jumped up and hugged him. He'd known that Harry would get in to Hogwarts, but he was overjoyed anyway. The joy was marred by a small pang of sadness. Harry was growing up; he was no longer the little boy who had nearly wept with excitement when they'd taken him to a toyshop. Sirius had raised him for seven years after rescuing him from the Dursleys, but now it didn't seem like long enough. Sirius almost felt jealous of Harry, Hogwarts definitely had been the best years of his life. One glance at his beautiful wife and daughter told him that he was being stupid. He'd had his time at Hogwarts, and now it was Harry's turn.

He couldn't help but think that the last part of James and Lily would truly be gone. Harry was so like them both it almost hurt. He looked almost identical to James, but his personality was more like Lily's. He glanced over at Remus, and could tell from his facial expression that he was thinking the same. It was silly really; it wasn't like they'd never see him again. He'd come back for Christmas and summer, not to mention that they would write to him, and when Sirius could face it, they'd have the mirror.

"Harry, I have something final to give you. But it's not really a gift from me, it's from your dad" Sirius said sadly.

Harry opened the parcel that Sirius handed him sadly. He opened it slowly and gasped as the silvery, fluid like material fell out. The invisibility cloak had served James well; he could only hope that it served Harry as well. Not that he wanted Harry to get into as much trouble as he and James had. Now that he was a parent, he couldn't understand how Mr and Mrs Potter had always managed to stay so calm with them. He was sure if he could see his young self now he'd probably kill him for being a little shit. He smiled bitterly as Harry ran his fingers through the cloak.

"This was your dad's. He would have killed me if I didn't give it to you for Hogwarts. Just don't get into too much trouble," Sirius added, trying and failing to sound stern. Remus shot him a look of disbelief, which Sirius deliberately ignored, trying to maintain the appearance of dignity. It was pointless however; his dignity had disappeared when Kura threw her porridge at him.

Harry threw himself at Sirius, hugging him tightly. Sirius placed a hand on the back of his head and hugged him tightly, trying to control his own grief. Harry pulled away eventually, his eyes red but a grin on his face. "Thank you"

"Just promise you won't do what we did, and don't visit the Slytherin common room just about every month" Remus added, watching Harry stare at the cloak.

"I don't know who you are referring to, but I don't recall any visits to the Slytherin common room" Alex snorted and Remus and Harry both laughed.

"No mummy, daddy do it" Kura's happy voice interrupted what Sirius was about to say. Alex was helping Kura with her breakfast, but it apparently wasn't good enough for the toddler. Sirius was a bit reluctant to help her with her breakfast, given what happened last time, but he sat down and did it anyway. Harry and Remus both raced out of the kitchen, apparently trying to get the bathroom first.

Alex wrapped her arms around Sirius shoulders as he helped Kura with her porridge. She kissed the back of his neck and just stood there, smiling at the two year old in front of them. Sirius smiled, Harry would have a great time at Hogwarts. And he had a life now; he had Alex and Kura to think about, as well as Harry and Remus. But before he even thought about that, he had other things to think about – most pressingly of which was the Quidditch match.

_**AN: So hi, new and returning readers alike. This is going to be the story of Harry's first four years, with Sirius and Remus as his guardians. I really hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. **_


	2. Chapter 2: King's Cross

"BOLLOCKS! What the hell have you got in here?" Sirius half shouted, having just dropped Harry's trunk on his foot.

Harry muttered "stuff" just as Alex began to scold Sirius for his language. In truth, Harry wasn't sure what was in the trunk. Both Alex and Remus had gone through his trunk, ensuring he had enough socks and removing the secret stash of dungbombs that Sirius had discreetly given him.

They were at King's Cross station and they'd arrived in Sirius' new car. Despite the fact that they lived no where near Muggles, Sirius had bought a car to 'keep up appearances'. It was a rubbish statement, as none of them really knew any Muggles (apart from Alex's mum). Harry suspected that he'd got the car purely so he would have something that he could drive fast in, as Alex had banned him from his bike. It was still in the garage though, and Sirius said that he'd teach Harry to ride it when he was old enough. He hadn't specified an age though, but Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Sirius would let him at 17 – if they could hide it from Remus and Alex.

It was the 1st of September and today was the day that Harry had waited for ever since Remus and Sirius had told him about Hogwarts. He was finally going to Hogwarts! Harry wanted to be just like his dad, Remus and Sirius had been full of praise, and an he had it all planned out. He was going to be in Gryffindor, like his parents. There was still a niggling doubt in the back of his mind, but he wasn't brave enough to voice it. _What if he was in Slytherin? _It didn't bear thinking about, so Harry forced himself to think about something else.

"Harry, go and grab a trolley, would you? Before Sirius drops your trunk again" Harry smirked and did as Remus asked, returning just in time to see Sirius wave his wand discreetly and levitate the trunk onto the trolley.

"Come on! It's 20 to 11 and we have to be there before Ron" The five of them set off, Harry pushing the trolley and Alex carrying Kura. There were so many people in the station, it made Harry feel quite nervous. He'd never liked massive crowds of people.

"You have to run at the wall Harry" Harry turned to stare incredulously at Sirius. Was he insane? That wall looked damn solid. He knew that magic could do some amazing things. But he didn't particularly fancy running at an apparently solid wall.

"Are you…er, sure?"

"Of course I'm sure Harry. I'm not making it up. Look, we can do it together" Sirius replied, placing both hands on the trolley next to Harry's. Harry didn't want to admit it, but Sirius' presence made him feel better, it always had ever since he and Remus had taken from the Dursleys.

Despite Sirius' words, Harry was still half convinced that they'd crash into the wall. So he was therefore surprised when they kept running. The noise suddenly magnified and Harry stared around in amazement. The platform was full of people who could only be wizards. Sirius and Harry walked towards the train, soon joined by Remus, Alex and Kura.

Harry wasn't quite sure how he felt about going to Hogwarts. He couldn't deny that he was absurdly excited about going to the school that Remus and Sirius had both told him so much about. But there was still a certain amount of reluctance. He was reluctant to leave Remus and Sirius, and even Alex and Kura. Sirius and Remus had told him all about Voldemort and his parents last month and he wasn't sure if he wanted to enter a world where everyone would know his name. He'd never spent more than a week away from Sirius since they'd take him from the Dursleys, and even then he'd been with Remus. he had the mirror, but it wasn't the same.

"Shall we find you a compartment? Then you can come back out an say g-goodbye" Remus said, his voice shaking. Harry nodded shyly and followed the two men onto the train.

Remus smirked, "Do you remember the last t-"

Sirius interrupted him quickly. "That wasn't funny"

Remus looked like he disagreed, but he wisely didn't say anything, leaving Harry confused as to what in the name of Merlin they were talking about. Still smirking, Remus opened a compartment door and lifted Harry's trunk upon to the rack.

"Neville!" Harry called, spotting the round faced boy in the corridor, "In here"

"Hi Harry. Mr Black, Mr Lupin, hello. Oh thank you" Sirius lifted Neville's trunk onto the rack alongside Harry's and smiled at him.

"Neville look, I'm going back out – I want to say goodbye to Kura and Alex"

"That's alright, I need to look for Trevor"

Harry assumed that Trevor was the toad that Neville had written to him about in the letter and walked back off the train. Alex was taking to Mrs Weasley, but as soon as she spotted Harry she broke off, put Kura down and held her arms out for a hug. Harry grinned and flew at her, smiling as she kissed the top of his head. When he pulled away, he stooped and picked up Kura.

"I'm going away for a while, but I'll be back at Christmas. I'll probably speak to you later Kura OK? I love you"

Harry didn't know how much Kura understood, but she gripped his shirt tightly in her little hands and babbled something back that Harry assumed was "I love you too". She was normally a right chatterbox, but something about the platform seemed to have scared her into silence.

Harry smiled down at her little face and, managing to pull her off his shirt, handed her back to Alex. He turned around and threw himself at Remus. it felt odd to think that this would be the last time that he would properly see Remus until Christmas. Remus pulled him close and whispered in his ear.

"I've probably already said everything I wanted to, but just remember – you'll have a great time at Hogwarts, and I love you…obviously"

Harry didn't say anything, he just grinned at the man who was almost like a father to him. Remus smiled back at Harry and gave him a slight push towards Sirius. Sirius smiled and pulled Harry into a rib-cracking hug. Normally Harry would have complained, but he didn't today. Sirius eventually pulled away, kissing the top of Harry's head. The whistle blew and Sirius quickly spoke to him.

"Now, I put the dungbombs back in your trunk. Do not cross McGonagall, or do anything stupid or dangerous. Use the mirror tonight and remember, I love you most. Now go and get on the train with Ron and Neville before it leaves" Sirius pushed him towards the train. Harry climbed up onto the red steam engine and turned around.

Harry smiled and waved at his family. They might not actually be his relatives, but they'd treated him a damn sight better than his actual relatives had. Not that he could remember much about them. He could remember being miserable and he could remember sleeping in a cupboard, but that was about it. The train began to move and Harry waved even more fiercely. Harry moved away only when the train had left the station and he could no longer see them. Harry smiled as he re-entered the compartment to see Ron and Neville deep in conversation about quidditch. Today was the start of a new adventure.

_**AN: Right, I'm putting this chapter up early because I want to get this story going, but I will normally update this once a week, mainly because University starts soon and I don't know how much time I'll have for writing. Chapter 3 will be up Saturday, and so on and so forth.**_

_**Please leave a review, I feel like I need to know what my readers think :D**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Mirror

Dinner in the Black – Lupin household was a subdued affair that night. There was only one person missing, but the house felt oddly silent without Harry. Remus felt his eyes drawn (yet again) to Harry's empty chair. It was wrong he decided, the chair had seated the messy haired boy for seven years and it seemed wrong that he wasn't there.

Remus had never spent more than a day away from Harry and it seemed weird. He was used to seeing the cheeky grin, and hearing the happy laugh nearly wherever he went, and it was odd without him. Remus loved that boy so fiercely that it almost hurt. He was painfully aware of the dark forces that were after him, and really, all Remus wanted to was keep him safe. Remus smiled. If there was one man that they could trust with Harry's safety, it was Dumbledore. Hell, the old man had even taken to sending Harry a Christmas present.

"Oh for goodness sake Sirius, just put the mirror on the side and leave it there. Carrying it around won't make him call any sooner" Alex scolded. Sirius had taken to carrying the mirror around with him wherever he went, ever since they'd come home from the train station. Remus couldn't blame him for being worried about Harry.

"I just want to be nearby or when Harry does call," Sirius answered curtly, apparently not appreciating being told off by his wife.

"Sirius, you're probably the last thing on Harry's mind at the minute. He's probably too busy eating or trying not to get lost"

Remus inwardly groaned. He sometimes wondered if Alex forgot that Sirius had once been a prisoner in Azkaban. Something like that would leave scars. Harry had been the only thing that Sirius had for a very long time and even though he had a family now, that bond between godfather and godson was as strong as ever. Sirius wouldn't take what Alex said as a reminder that Harry was busy, but as a statement that Harry didn't need him anymore.

"You think so do you?" Sirius asked, his voice rising ominously. Remus glanced at Alex, she looked utterly confused.

"What are you – "

Alex's reply was cut off by Harry's voice coming from the middle of the table. He only called "Sirius Black" but from the looks directed at the table you'd think it had told them the best news of their lives. There was a scramble for the mirror, which Sirius emerged from as the victor. Remus raced around the table so he could see the beaming 11 year old.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, his previous anger forgotten. "Are you OK? What do you – "

Harry laughed, cutting Sirius' babbling off. "Everything's great. Ron says hi"

"Are you in the same house then?" Remus asked, even though deep down he already knew the answer.

Harry grinned. "You are now speaking to Harry James Potter, the newest Gryffindor" The three adults cheered. "Ron is also in Gryffindor…as is Neville"

Remus smiled. It was obvious when you met Neville that he could be something amazing, if he only had the confidence. But both of his parents had been in Gryffindor. He knew his grandmother was hard on him, but maybe she'd ease up on him now that Neville was following in his father's footsteps. Hopefully not all of his footsteps though. They would have been better off dead instead of what happened to them. He didn't know how Neville coped with it, they all found it hard enough that James and Lily were dead, but having your parents alive but not recognising you, well, it didn't bear thinking about.

"Who else is with you?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. I can't remember all the girls, but there was a bossy girl off the train…said her name was Hermione"

"Is Snape still there? The bas-"

"Sirius shut up!" Alex interrupted him sharply. "What will it matter if Snape's still there?"

"Because Harry is the spitting image of James and Snape will probably hate him on sight, regardless of the fact that he's also Lily's son"

"Gee, thanks for your support Remus" Harry replied sarcastically.

Remus winced. He hadn't meant to be that blunt. It was true though, if there was one thing that Snape could do, it was hold a grudge. It was stupid really, the grudge should have died with James. But Remus knew with dread certainty that Snape wouldn't have forgotten. It was unfair, Remus and Sirius deserved his hatred far more than Harry did.

Did Dumbledore make you sing the school song?" Sirius asked, his grey eyes dancing with mirth. Remus rolled his eyes and Alex grinned.

Harry snorted. "yes he did. I dot think the other teachers appreciated it though"

The three occupants of the kitchen laughed. Dumbledore had made them sing that damn song every year and the old man had been the only one to enjoy it, even then. Though, if Dumbledore had had to sit next to James and Sirius he might not have liked it so much. Remus always swore that his ears were actually bleeding after the song. Neither James nor Sirius could sing, and it was sometimes physically painful to listen to them.

"Look, I should go, I'm knackered. Where's Kura?" Harry said, barely managing to stifle a yawn.

"In bed Harry, you're a bit late" Alex answered.

Harry's face fell. It was obvious that thought of the toddler as the sister that he'd never have. "Oh…OK"

"I'm sorry Harry. She did ask about you though," Sirius said, obviously trying to bring the smile back to Harry's face. It worked.

Harry grinned. "I'll say goodnight then"

"Good Night Harry. I love you. Sweet Dreams" Remus managed to say first. Harry smiled, that had become the ritual thing that Remus said every night.

"Remember you can call any time. Someone will always have the mirror; we're never too busy to talk to you. I love you Harry. Night" Sirius said, still smiling at his godson.

Alex bade Harry a good night and then his face disappeared from the mirror. Sirius and Alex began talking excitedly, but Remus wasn't paying them any attention. He was glad they'd been able to talk to Harry. He was the closest thing to a son that Remus could hope for and Remus loved him as if he were. He always had. Ever since he'd first seen the little boy at St Mungo's for the first time. Remus smiled. Harry would be having a great time at Hogwarts, but the fact that he'd remembered them meant a lot. James and Lily would be so proud.

_**AN: I'm so sorry this is late. I went to see Lee Evans on Friday Night, and as a result I spent most of yesterday in bed. But I am still trying to stick to the weekly updates. **_

_**Please leave a review? So I know people are actually reading this **_


	4. Chapter 4: Classes

Harry was lost. He, Ron and Neville were trying to get to transfiguration but Harry had a feeling that they'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. They were going to be late, Harry knew it and Sirius had warned him not to cross McGonagall. They were so screwed.

"I think we're lost" Ron stated, scratching his head in confusion.

"Way to state the obvious Ron. We're on the right floor, we've just taken a wrong turn somewhere" Harry retorted, already walking back down the way they'd come. He was desperately looking for something, anything to tell him where they might be. He saw the hem of a robe whip around a corner and he followed it, hoping desperately that the person he was following knew where they were going.

"Harry, slow down. Where are we going?" Neville panted, desperately trying to keep up with Harry.

"Here we are. Quick…before McGonagall turns up"

Success. He'd done it. He'd found the classroom. He grinned and filed into a seat next to Ron. Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom just as Harry had got his textbook out.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned"

That got everybody's attention. There was complete silence in the room and they all stared wide-eyed as she transfigured her desk into a pig and back again. She made them all copy down complex notes off the board and then she handed them all a match. They were then told to transfigure the match into a needle. The only one who made a major difference was, of course, Hermione Granger. A perfect needle was sat on the desk in front of her. Harry looked down in annoyance at his own match. He apparently hadn't inherited his father's transfiguration skills. Though, his match had turned silver, but it still looked like a match. McGonagall gave Hermione five points and smiled thinly at Harry. Harry smiled back. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

OoOoOo

"Come on, you're going to be late" Hermione's bossy voice interrupted Harry telling Ron and Neville about Kura and the porridge incident. Harry looked up in annoyance. Hermione was stood by the Gryffindor table, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Why do you care if we're late or not?" Ron retorted angrily.

"Well excuse me for thinking that you wouldn't like a detention from Professor Sinistra" Hermione answered snobbily. She turned around and stalked away huffily. Harry watched her go, not sure if he should laugh at her or be annoyed with her.

"Who does she think she is? She sounds like my mother!" Ron cried incredulously. Neville merely looked flabbergasted by what had just happened.

Harry sighed and glanced at his watch. "She's right though. We will be late if we don't go now"

Neville shot to his feet, followed reluctantly by Ron and the three of them walked out of the Great Hall. Somehow they managed their way to the Astronomy tower without once getting lost. The feeling of satisfaction evaporated however when he was forced next to sit next to Hermione. They spent the entire lesson in a huffy silence.

Professor Sinistra strode to the front of the classroom; she was a tall woman with short black hair and stunningly blue eyes. They looked a bit creepy actually; she had olive skin and her eyes stood out worse than Phoenix in a flock of Augurey's. "Our lecture today will be about stars, most importantly the Canis Major constellation. It is one of the 88 modern constellations and one of Ptolemy's 48 constellations. Can anybody tell me what symbol it is generally depicted as?"

Hermione's hand shot in the air, disturbingly close to Harry's face. "The greater dog, which is the English translation of the Latin Canis Major"

Harry rolled his eyes, he guessed Hermione had been speaking the truth when she told them that she'd memorised all of the textbooks. He did grin however when Professor Sinistra told her that she was right and gave her five points.

Harry sat, taking notes on the lecture, even though only half of his mind was focused on what the Professor was saying. The other half of his brain was in deep thought. Maybe Hermione wasn't as bad as he first thought.

OoOoOo

Harry had been dreading Potions ever since Remus warned him about Snape, so it was therefore a rather nervous Harry that took a seat next to Ron in the dungeon classroom. Professor Snape wasn't there when they arrived, but as soon as the potions master entered the room, he had the entire class transfixed.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach"

Harry and Ron shared a look of incredulity. Snape looked perfectly serious as he surveyed the room with his dark eyes, a look of disdain on his face.

"Potter," he snapped, completely unexpectedly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

What? Harry stared at him, his eyes wide. He didn't think he'd even heard of either of those two things. He was painfully aware of Hermione's hand in the air, two seats away. "I don't know sir"

Snape sneered at him. "Tut, tut – clearly, fame isn't everything. Lets try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Now, Harry had grown up with an auror, so he knew what a bezoar did, but he didn't have a clue where to find one. Somehow, he didn't think the apothecary would be the right answer. "I don't know sir"

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh Potter?" Harry glared at him furiously. Of course he'd read all of his books, but he wasn't like Hermione, he hadn't absorbed every word. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harry's heart sank as he looked at Snape. He didn't have a clue how to answer his questions. Snape was obviously just doing this to make Harry seem like an idiot…and it was working. Nearly all of the Slytherins were laughing at him, and Hermione still had her hand in the air. She was actually waving it at Snape in an effort to get his attention. "I don't know sir, but I think Hermione does, why don't you ask her?"

A few people in the class sniggered and Ron had to fake a coughing fit to get away with laughing. Seamus looked over and winked at him. However, the sneer on Snape's face became, if possible, even more pronounced and his eyes sparkled maliciously.

"For your information Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful that it's known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you copying that down?"

They didn't need telling twice. Every single person in the class reached for their quills and began to scribble down what the potions master had just said.

"And 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek Potter"

_**AN: Right, I have a few things to say/ ask. As some of you might know, there are direct quotes from the book in this chapter, which obviously I don't own. I haven't marked them out, because I always think that it disrupts the flow of the story. If you think it should be marked, let me know.**_

_**I also have a question; do you think that Sirius would try to continue on the Black family line by having a son? As he's the last male heir, do you think he'd fulfil his mother's wish, or just keep Kura? I'm not sure if he would or not, I can't decide. I have an idea if I do add a boy, I think I might call him Matthew Sirius, what do you think? I'm not sure if he would want to carry on one of the evilest pureblood families or not? Let me know what you think? **_


	5. Chapter 5: Like father, like son

"Remus, I need your help"

Remus charged into the lounge and upon seeing that there was nothing wrong put his hands on his hips. Sirius almost laughed, it was such a Remus thing to do.

"What's wrong? Or do you enjoy making me worry for no good reason"

Sirius smiled. "Nothing's wrong. Its Harry," Sirius ignored the worried look on Remus' face and ploughed on. "Harry was caught flying when he wasn't meant to – by McGonagall"

Remus paled. "What? Is he all right? What did he have to do?"

Sirius laughed. "Harry's fine. That's the strange thing really, apparently, he's the best flier McGonagall's seen in a long time and she wants him on the Quidditch team"

Remus stared at him, completely lost for words. Sirius couldn't blame him – he'd had to read the letter twice before he'd believed it. Not that he didn't think that Harry would be good at quidditch, but whoever heard of McGonagall not punishing someone? She'd never been that lenient with the marauders. But then again, the marauders had never risked punishment to help a friend. At least, not in the way that Harry had tried for Neville. Sirius felt a surge of pride, Harry was such a good kid.

"Oh God" Remus was practically whispering. "Can you imagine what James would be like?"

Sirius smiled sadly. James Potter had been his best friend and brother in all but blood. He'd even asked Sirius to be his best man when he married Lily, and godfather when Harry came along. If there was one thing that they could claim about James, it was that he was a self-confessed Quidditch nut, right to the end. "He'd be unbearable to be in the same room"

Remus snorted in amusement. "Does he need a broom?"

"He does. We'll get him that nimbus that he was drooling over when we went to Diagon Alley"

OoOoOo

"Harry, come on. What did you do? I won't be angry you know"

"I haven't done anything!" Harry answered quickly, refusing to meet their eyes through the mirror.

"You know Harry, if there's one thing I've always prided myself on, it's the ability to tell when you're lying" Remus replied softly, watching Harry fidget awkwardly. He looked like he were having a fierce internal debate.

Harry looked up, and began to speak – rapidly. "Malfoy challenged me to a duel, so Ron and I snuck out to meet him – at midnight in the trophy room, but Hermione tried to stop us and we ran into Neville, he'd forgotten the password. But the Fat Lady was gone, so they both had to come with us to the trophy room. Except Malfoy wasn't there, Filch was. We got away though"

Sirius groaned. He was normally quite bright, but Harry could be very thick sometimes. "Harry, did you actually think that he would turn up? He's a crafty, little so-snake, just like his father"

Remus shot him a glare at the near swear word, but Harry seemed none the wiser to Sirius' slip up. "Sirius be fair, you don't even know Draco"

"He tricked Harry into sneaking out for a duel and then didn't show, leaving Harry and his friends to get detention. How much more snakelike can you get?"

Remus apparently ignored him. "More to the point Harry, why did you think sneaking out was a good idea in the first place?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. What the hell was the boy meant to do with the invisibility cloak if not sneak out? Remus had agreed quite cheerfully that they should give Harry the cloak at the time. He couldn't change his mind now. Remus however, seemed to have forgotten that fact and looked ready to launch into scold mode. Harry had obviously recognised the look on his face because he began to stare imploringly at Sirius. Sirius couldn't deny that sneaking out for a duel was a stupid idea, but nobody had been hurt, and they had given him the cloak so he could sneak out.

"What was the point of giving him the invisibility cloak if he's not allowed to use it?" That shut Remus up, but Sirius was much more bothered by the fact that Harry was still shifting awkwardly in front of them. "What? You did use the cloak, right?"

Harry looked away from Sirius and answered quietly, a dull blush creeping up his face as he did. "I had it with me. I was going to use it, but I didn't think it would fit over all of us. Besides, you said Mrs Norris would be able to smell us"

Sirius stared at him, his mouth dropping open in surprise. What a stupid idea. Had he not taught Harry anything? "You mean you tried to sneak around the castle in plain sight? You muppet, that's a sure fire way to end up getting caught. And if it fit over three fifteen year olds, it will fit over four eleven year olds. You are such a muppet"

Harry grinned sheepishly. Then he changed the subject. "Do you know anything about three headed dogs?"

Sirius froze. Why on earth would Harry be asking three headed dogs? There was only one place that Sirius could think that he'd seen it, and that didn't bode well for anybody. Harry had to be the most curious person he had ever met, and if Harry had found Fluffy, he didn't know how long the secret of the Philosopher's stone would last. Harry would chip away until he knew the truth

"Why?" Remus asked quickly.

Harry apparently hadn't been expecting his question to be answered with another question, so he paused before answering. "Oh, um Ron found a picture of one and we were both curious. I thought they'd been extinct for hundreds of years?"

"Just because there aren't any stories with them in anymore doesn't mean they're gone. But they were nearly wiped out…there are still a few left" Remus answered, slipping into teacher mode. It was sad really, Remus would make an excellent teacher, if not for his lycanthropy. Sirius had told him that he could still be a Muggle teacher, but Remus still wasn't sure.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. That's Ron, I have to go for dinner. Bye" Harry said. He waved once and then disappeared from the mirror. Remus turned to face Sirius, a worried expression on his face.

"You don't think he knows, do you? About the stone?"

Being an auror, Sirius had been told about the moving of the stone quite a while before it happened, and the first person he'd told was Remus. of course, then he'd told his wife and made Remus pretend that he found out after Alex. "No, there's no way he knows about the stone. They might have seen Fluffy, which is worrying in itself, or they might have just heard him growling and guessed that it was more than one dog making that noise"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

"Of course I don't, I'm going to have a word with Albus about improving the security"

"Whatever you do, don't get Harry into trouble. I don't think he'd ever forgive you, given that he got away with it"

"I'm not an idiot Remus, I'm sure I can keep Harry's name out of the conversation" A wail from upstairs effectively ended their conversation and Sirius climbed the stairs tiredly to get Kura from her afternoon nap. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world, but even he had to admit that she was very vocal. She was very good at talking for a two year old, and she knew it.

"Daddy! No more bedtime" Despite the thoughts that had just ran through his mind, Sirius couldn't help but smile at the innocence in her voice. Sirius hoped with all his heart that it could stay that way. Spending most of your life during war had a way of robbing that from a person, and he could only try to ensure that that didn't happen to Harry and Kura.

"No more bedtime" Sirius agreed, lifting Kura out of the cot. He quickly managed to dress her and then carried her downstairs to the lounge. Sirius had decided, almost instantaneously with Alex telling him she was pregnant, that Remus would be her godfather. Remus had been stunned, but he'd agreed after looking into her sparkling grey eyes.

"Doggy. Where's doggy?"

"Jethro's with Remus. I think he's asleep" Sirius answered. Jethro was the golden retriever that they'd got for Harry not long after he came to them. The poor boy had been so shy that they were both at a loss of what to do with him, that is, until the idea occurred to Sirius of getting a dog. He still maintained that it was one of the best ideas that he'd come up with. Kura seemed rather taken with the golden retriever, it had to be said.

"Why?"

Damn. That had become Kura's favourite thing to say. "Because he needs to sleep in the day, same as you"

Kura nodded like that were the most obvious thing in the world. She grinned when they walked into the lounge and saw Remus smiling at her, her favourite picture book already in his hands. Sirius smiled and placed the toddler on Remus' lap.

"Thanks Remus, now to talk to Dumbledore"

_**AN: Right, I feel like I should explain why my updates are all over the place. I'm spending my last two weeks before I go back to Uni trying to write enough of this story so I can keep updating. I don't think I'll get a lot of time to write when I go back to Uni. What I'd really like is to be able to update twice a week, but I'd need 30 chapters ready to update – I only have 16. So I have enough to update weekly, but not any faster. I want to get the story going though, so I'll ask now: would you rather I updated really quickly while I have chapters and then go for long periods of time without updates, or methodically do one a week?**_

_**Obviously, let me know what you think about this chapter as well? x**_


	6. Chapter 6: Quidditch training

Malfoy did not look pleased to see Harry and Ron sat in the Great Hall, he'd obviously thought they would be caught and expelled. Harry made a point of smiling and waving at him. As expected it just made Malfoy more annoyed. He'd been annoyed yesterday as well, when Harry apparently hadn't been punished for flying. He didn't know that Harry had actually made the Gryffindor team, and Harry longed for the day that he could rub that in Malfoy's face. Purely to see the look on his face, you understand.

"Hermione said it was guarding something. Do you think she actually meant that, or was she just being a nutter?" Ron asked, drawing Harry's attention away from Malfoy.

"Do you remember the Gringotts break in? Hagrid said something about Hogwarts being the safest place in the Wizarding World. It could be that?"

"But what is it then? It's got to be something really valuable or really dangerous. Doesn't Sirius know?"

"Are you mad? Of course he does, but I'm not stupid enough to ask him. He won't tell me anything, and he'll probably get angry for just asking"

Ron nodded and began to stuff baked beans into his mouth. Harry watched him, slightly sickened by the sheer joy on Ron's face as he ate the beans. The arrival of the post owls distracted him from the sickening sight. Sirius had sent him a 'care package' yesterday – meaning sweets, chocolate and a new pack of snap cards, but Harry looked up anyway. Every single person in the Hall turned to watch six owls carry a long parcel towards the Gryffindor table. They dropped it in front of Harry and he stared at it open mouthed. A seventh owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel and Harry reached toward it with shaking hands.

_Harry,_

_I would advise not opening this at the table. It contains your new nimbus 2000 (yes, the one you were drooling over in the summer). Well done with making the team, if your dad were here now I think he'd spontaneously combust with pride. Seriously though, we are all so proud of you and we're going to come to all of your games. _

_Love Sirius, Remus, Alex and Kura_

Harry stared open mouthed at the parcel and numbly handed Ron the letter. Ron looked like his eyes were about to fall out of his head. They both fled out of the Great Hall, hoping to open it before class. However, Malfoy was waiting for them as soon as they left the hall. He took one look at the parcel in Harry's hands and his eyes narrowed.

"That's a broomstick. You'll be out this time, first years aren't allowed broomsticks" Malfoy drawled, jealousy obvious in his whiny voice.

"I know" Harry replied, grinning broadly at Malfoy.

"It's not just any broomstick, that's a nimbus 2000, fastest broom in the world," Ron said, grinning at the look of horror on Malfoy's pale face.

"What would you know Weasley? It's probably worth more than your house"

Ron opened his mouth to retort angrily, but Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow. "Not arguing, I hope boys?"

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor" Malfoy said quickly, obviously still determined to get Harry into trouble. Professor Flitwick smiled.

"Yes, yes that's right. Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances. A nimbus 2000?"

"That's right Professor. Though it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it" Harry added, desperately trying not to laugh at Malfoy's face. Harry and Ron walked away then, still trying to stifle their laughter at Malfoy's look of horror. They ripped the parcel open as soon as they were in the dormitory and they both gasped as the broom fell out. It was the most perfect broom Harry thought he'd ever seen.

"Wow. Sirius and Remus are amazing" Ron breathed, still staring at the broom.

"I know" Harry answered back, smiling at the broom in front of him. Harry thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

He was actually sad when they had to leave it in the dormitory and head out to class. It was so bad that Harry could barely concentrate on his lessons, so excited was he about the broom. He wrote a quick thank you letter to Sirius and Remus, and then sent Hedwig with it. Harry wolfed down his dinner and charged up to the dormitory to retrieve the broom. He was meant to meet Oliver Wood at seven o'clock on the quidditch pitch. Harry grinned broadly when he reached the pitch, it reminded of going to see the Wasps in the summer.

Harry felt like a bit of an idiot just standing there, broom over his shoulder as he waited for Wood. Harry smiled and jumped onto the nimbus, letting out a whoop of joy as he felt the wind whistle through his hair. He'd never experienced anything like it before – he'd ridden Sirius' broom once but this was different. It made him feel free.

"Hey Potter, come down!"

Oliver Wood was stood in the middle of the pitch, watching Harry swoop between the goal posts with a slight smile on his face. He had a wooden crate under his arm, which Harry assumed contained the four balls. Harry landed next to him.

"Very nice Potter. I see what McGonagall meant…you really are a natural flier. I'm guessing you know the rules? So I'm just going to check your 'seeking skills' and then you can join team practice three teams a week. We'll just try you out with some of these, it's too dark to get the snitch out"

Harry nodded and watched as Wood pulled a bag of golf balls out of his pocket. Harry had never understood golf, Sirius took him to play crazy golf once and he didn't understand it. Surely if there was a windmill in the way, you'd just play somewhere else? Harry much preferred quidditch. Wood motioned for Harry to take off again and he began to throw golf balls in every direction for Harry to catch. He didn't miss a single one. Wood was nearly crying with happiness as they both walked back to the castle.

"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year" Wood announced gleefully as they stepped onto the staircase. Harry grinned. There was one thing, and one thing only that he wanted to do now.

OoOoOo

"…And I didn't miss a single one" Harry finished, watching Sirius and Remus through the mirror. They both grinned at him.

"Well Done Harry" Sirius said, his grin almost stretching from ear to ear. "Being good at Quidditch must run in the family. Your dad was brilliant"

Harry smiled. He'd never known his dad but he always felt a surge of pride when somebody compared Harry to him. "My dad played quidditch?" Harry had probably heard stories about his father and quidditch about 10 times, but he didn't care. He was so curious about the two people who gave their lives for him that he could have listened to the same story again and again and still had a smile on his face.

"He was one of the best chasers I've ever seen. He easily could have played professionally when he left school, but he trained to be an auror – like me. He was made Captain in our fifth year, and I swear to you now, I don't think I had a proper nights sleep for three years"

Harry laughed. "Don't exaggerate Sirius, it was your own fault for being on the team. James left me alone" Remus answered, a smile on his face.

"Its not my fault I was good at hitting things. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, James and training. He was a nutter Harry. One morning he dragged the team out at five o'clock on a Saturday morning – in January. It was cold, chucking it down and the wind was awful. The seeker nearly got blown off his broom. But James said we needed to learn to cope with adverse conditions. We only stopped when I threw my bat at his head"

Harry roared with laughter. Remus' eyes widened with understanding. "So that was why he had a black eye, and why he refused to speak to you all day?"

"It worked though. Bless, I don't think Michael warmed up for about three days. Oh, he was the seeker. Tiny little second year he was. He was sweet really. The rest of the team were fourth and fifth years, and then there was this tiny little second year. He plays for England now though"

Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head. They knew the best seeker in the entire country! Harry didn't know whether to badger them with questions or if he was going to faint. He settled for trying to speak, except all that came out was a strangled squeak. Remus and Sirius both laughed. That was how Harry often spent time with the two men – laughing his head off. They passed the rest of the evening that way, talking and laughing.

_**AN: Sorry this is late, I was absurdly busy yesterday. Please let me know what you think about this story so far. Do you think that this story is good?**_


	7. Chapter 7: Ten years

Remus didn't know what to do. He didn't want to be the one that told Sirius what had happened, but he had to know. He didn't even want to think about what his reaction would be. Remus wasn't even sure what his own reaction was. Swallowing the panic that was rising in his chest, threatening to choke him he walked into the lounge. Sirius was watching Kura play with a doll, a pained expression on his face. Today was the day; the day when they'd both lost everything that mattered. Remus had even lost himself for a while. Everything had been ripped away from him that day; leaving a pain that was so huge Remus wondered how his body could hold it. Ten years to the day and they were both still mourning James. And Lily. Remus had never had much, but more than he could give was taken that night.

"Sirius, I –" Remus stopped, Sirius still hadn't looked up. Remus moved closer, he had a photo album on his lap – the one of James and Lily. Sirius turned a tortured face towards him.

"Ten years Moony. Can you believe they've been gone for ten years?" He didn't seem to be waiting for an answer, he just ploughed on. "I look at Kura and I wonder what would have happened if there was no prophecy. Harry would have had so many brothers and sisters, we'd be spending Halloween with James and Lily, little dark haired children everywhere. All year I force myself to remember the good times, but all I can see on Halloween is their broken, lifeless bodies. I can hear Harry wailing for me to stay and I can feel the fury and the guilt coursing through my veins again. I can taste the smoke of what once was their beautiful cottage and I can smell the sense of death that lingered in the house"

Remus stared at his best friend, utterly lost for words. Sirius was normally so guarded that he was surprised by what he said. Remus said the only thing he could think of, the one thing that he'd been saying to Sirius and himself for all these years. "It was not your fault Sirius. It was Peter's fault…and Voldemort's. There is nobody to blame but them" Remus stepped forwards and drew Sirius into a fierce hug. Sirius had been his lifeline these past seven years, the one to cling to when it all got too hard. Both Remus and Sirius had already endured so much hardship by the time they went to Hogwarts that it wasn't fair that they were forced to endure more.

Sirius pulled away, wiping quickly at the tears already running down his handsome face. "We still have Harry though. He's like…the best bits of both of them, crammed into one person. What did you come in to say?"

Remus' heart fell. He'd had a letter about Harry, and depending on which way you looked at it, it wasn't good. Sirius was using Harry as the light at the end of the tunnel, but Remus wasn't sure if Harry was up to that. "It's Harry" Remus had to stop, he had to force his voice to stop speaking in a croaky whisper. He cleared his throat and carried on. "I've just got a very interesting letter from McGonagall. Someone let a troll into the school and, er, Harry got involved"

Sirius' face had drained of blood. For a minute he looked almost as bad as he had in Azkaban. Sirius stuttered for a moment before managing to choke out "Involved how?"

Remus took a step backwards. Looking at Sirius now, it wasn't necessarily hard to imagine why the wizarding world had thought him a mass murderer. He looked scary. "Apparently, Harry and two friends smashed up a bathroom but managed to knock the troll out in the process"

Sirius' eyes widened. "We need to go and see Harry. I need to know what the hell possessed him into taking on a troll. Kura can stay with Alex, and I think I'll go and shout myself hoarse at Harry. Coming?"

OoOoOo

Remus almost smiled as he saw the castle. It was so beautiful. Remus didn't think he would ever see something as beautiful again. It held so many beautiful memories as well. He could quite happily have stood out here for hours, just watching as the windows lit up and flickered like jewels caught in light. The smile slid off his face when he remembered why he was here. He knew that was all that Sirius was thinking of next to him. He looked furious. Remus knew that he had a reputation for being good at scolding, but he was nowhere near Sirius if you actually got him that angry. He knew that whoever had got him that angry would be screwed.

"Don't you think you should calm down a bit before dealing with Harry?" Remus asked softly, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Calm down? How the hell am I meant to calm down? McGonagall said it was a fully-grown mountain troll and Harry just walked up to it, calm as anything. He could have been killed Remus!"

Ah. It made sense now. Sirius was so angry because he was scared for Harry. Sirius' greatest fear for the longest time was losing Harry and now he was forced to confront that. Remus couldn't necessarily blame him for being worried, but he didn't think this was the best way to go about it. Remus was sure that Harry would have a reason, he just hoped that it was a good one. Sirius didn't even stop to say anything to McGonagall, he just stomped angrily up the stairs, leaving Remus to make his excuses as he and their old transfiguration professor followed him to Gryffindor tower.

"I'm sorry Prof – I mean Minerva. He's just worried, and it just had to be today of all days, didn't it?"

"I understand perfectly. I didn't know what to say when I found them, covered in dust and water"

"But they were OK? No-one was hurt?"

"They were, understandably, a bit shaken up, but they were all fine. They quite happily walked off together to their common room"

"You know, I can hear every word you're saying, and it's not making me feel better" Sirius snarled, not even turning around.

"It wasn't meant to. I just thought you should take into account that nobody was hurt" Minerva replied curtly. "Wait out here gentlemen. I shall go and get young Mr Potter"

McGonagall walked through the portrait hole, leaving a furious Sirius with Remus. Remus was half tempted to follow after her into Gryffindor Tower. He could probably count on one hand the number of times that he'd seen Sirius this angry, but each time still left him wanting to run away and hide under his bed covers like he had when he was a child. That wouldn't help the situation though. He needed to be here to make sure that Sirius didn't do something he would later regret. The portrait hole opened and Remus tried to plaster on a stern but worried look. Professor McGonagall walked away, leaving them with Harry.

Harry looked rather worried when he spotted the two of them. Sirius was nearly shaking with rage as he saw the worried expression on Harry's face. It seemed to infuriate him further. Sirius stormed into an empty classroom, and Harry and Remus shared a look. They both followed him into the classroom, Remus closing the door behind them. He cast a quick silencing spell – he had a feeling that Harry wouldn't want the rest of the school to hear him being told off.

Sirius whipped around, a look of fury on his face. "What the hell made you go after a troll?"

Harry stared at him. "I did it to save Hermione. Quirrell said the troll was in the dungeons; so all the teachers went down to the dungeons. But it wasn't, it was upstairs. It went into the bathroom where Hermione was, we only went in to try and get her out before the troll got her. But it started attacking and things got out of hand. We didn't mean to get in a fight with it, it just sort of happened"

Sirius seemed to visibly deflate at his words. There was no way that he could scold Harry for trying to save someone. Sirius had always taught him that friendship was one of the most important things in life.

"They couldn't exactly have left her there, could they?" Remus asked quietly. Sirius stared at him for a moment before letting his face fall, looking far older than his 31 years. Remus guessed that the pain of losing James and Lily, combined with his worry about Harry had knocked him over the edge.

Sirius stepped forward quickly and pulled Harry into a rib-cracking hug, almost as if he was trying to reassure himself that Harry was OK. Harry seemed absolutely stunned by Sirius' rapid change in character, but he went along with it. Sirius pulled back eventually and spoke to him. "Harry…I was so worried. I couldn't lose you…especially not today"

"What's so special about Halloween?"

Sirius and Remus both shared a look, eventually both nodding. "Halloween's the day that everything went wrong. It's the day that Voldemort caught up with your mum and dad"

Harry's eyes widened and he looked between the two men, worry evident on his face. "Are you still angry…about the troll?"

"I wasn't ever angry. You're all OK and nobody got hurt. But do it again and I will kill you with my bare hands" Remus said quickly, managing to stop Sirius' dilemma.

"Duly noted" Harry replied with a smile. Remus smiled back and pulled Harry into a hug. He could have stayed like this forever, keeping Harry safe within his arms. He knew that he'd have to let Harry go, but right now he didn't want to. Here he knew that Harry was safe, and he would do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way.

_**AN: I know this is early, but I'm going away this weekend so I won't be able to update it at the weekend. I really hope you like this chapter, I'm quite proud of it. Let me know what you think?**_

_**Oh, also, some of you might have seen on my profile that I'm planning a marauders sequel. I've just put the first chapter of it up, and I would be honoured if you lovely readers would go and check it out and let me know what you think about it. **_


	8. Chapter 8: The match

"It's so cold! I feel like my bum might freeze!" moaned Ron as the first years traipsed back from the greenhouses. Harry rolled his eyes, but still rubbed his hands together in an effort to gain some warmth.

"Oh honestly, Ron, it's not that cold. For any part of your body to actually freeze your body temperature would have to drop be-"

"Can we just leave it? We're all cold, but we're nearly at the castle" Harry interrupted quickly. They'd only been friends with Hermione for a fortnight, but her and Ron had already started squabbling, mainly good naturedly. If it weren't so annoying, Harry was sure it would have been funny.

"Ooh, Harry, I nearly forgot, I found a book yesterday, about Quidditch. I asked Ron and he said you hadn't got it. I mean… it might be useful, right?" Hermione asked, already holding out a lime green book for him to take. The words _Quidditch through the Ages _were written across the front in gold. Harry grinned at Hermione. He was damn sure it would be useful.

"Thanks Hermione" Harry whispered, already flicking through the book. From the look of the diagrams Harry was sure it would be useful.

"Come on, McGonagall'll probably kill us all if we're late to transfiguration" Seamus called from the stairway. Harry nodded and ran after him, closely followed by Ron and Hermione.

OoOoOo

"I'm going to get my book back from Snape" Harry announced suddenly, deciding on the spur of the moment to retrieve the book that Snape had confiscated earlier. He'd limped over, obviously looking for some way to tell them off and had announced that taking books out of the library was against the rules. Harry was sure that he'd just made that rule up, but he couldn't really say that to his face, could he?

"Good luck Harry" Hermione said, apparently trying to hide the doubt in her voice. It didn't work. Harry set off to the staff room, already confident that Snape would give the book back if other professors were there. He walked to the staff room quickly and knocked on the door. No answer. He tried again and then pushed the door open slightly. He wasn't prepared for the scene that met his eyes.

Snape and Filch were the only two people inside. Snape was holding his robes above his knee and Filch was handing him bandages. There was blood running down the Potions Masters leg, and the skin was torn around it. Harry wondered what the hell could have done that to a fully trained wizard, but Snape answered the question for him when he started muttering about the impossibility of watching all three heads. So Snape had had a run in with the three-headed dog, had he? What a shame. Harry backed away from the door quietly, letting the door close on its own. He fled back to Gryffindor tower, where he promptly told Ron and Hermione what he saw.

"But why would he try to get past the dog?" Hermione asked.

"He obviously wants whatever it is that the dog's guarding" Harry answered quickly.

"Yes but, why would he try to steal something that Professor Dumbledore was trying to keep safe?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"Because he's an arse" Ron stated plainly, almost as if he were stating the obvious. Hermione shot him a scandalised look.

"You can't say that about a teacher! Just because he's not very nice doesn't mean he's an a…" Hermione trailed off, apparently not comfortable with swearing. Harry rolled his eyes again as Ron retorted. This was going to be a long day.

OoOoOo

Harry was terrified. He didn't think he'd ever been this nervous, and that included the time when he'd accidentally blown up the kitchen. He was seven when he did it, and he'd been angry about something. So angry that when he'd stomped into the kitchen everything had exploded, leaving him stood, shaking in the middle of the room. Sirius and Alex had both been at work, but Remus had charged into the kitchen and then froze. Remus had told him since that that had been the scariest day of his life. He'd pulled the still stunned Harry towards him and then set the kitchen on repairing itself. Harry smiled slightly at the memory.

"There you go Potter. There's no point in being nervous, as soon as you start flying your nerves will probably melt away… and then you can focus on your job – catching the snitch before the Slytherin seeker does" Wood said reassuringly. Harry nodded and stared at the crowd, hoping to see Remus and Sirius. They said they would come to watch, but he couldn't see them.

"Mount your brooms please" Madam Hooch's voice ordered. Harry climbed onto his Nimbus 2000, trying to swallow down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. The whistle blew and fifteen brooms rose into the air. The game had begun.

Harry rose high into the air and scanned the crowds. He spotted Ron, Hermione and Neville easily among the Gryffindor stands. Harry grinned and resumed his search. There, sat not far from Professor McGonagall were both Remus and Sirius. It was obvious that they were both ex-Gryffindors from the way they were dressed. They were both wearing red tops, lined with gold. Remus even had a red and gold hat on, complete with moving lion images. Harry guessed it was from their school days. They were both waving fiercely up at him. Harry grinned and waved back, all the while listening to Lee Jordan's commentary.

"And the Quaffle is immediately taken by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too –"

"JORDAN!"

Harry had to laugh. Lee was brilliant at this, and now Harry didn't feel nervous in the slightest. He grinned to himself and resumed his search for the snitch, listening all the while to the commentary.

"Sorry Professor… And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve – back to Johnson and – no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc – no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by the Slytherins – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger – sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes – she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger – the goal posts are ahead – come on, now, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Harry grinned and flew a loop the loop as the Gryffindors cheered. He couldn't believe he'd been nervous about this – it was brilliant. Harry dodged a bludger that was shot at his head and waved at Fred as he chased after it.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"

Harry shot forward, desperate to catch the snitch. The Slytherin Chaser actually dropped the Quaffle; the snitch had shot past his head. Harry extended his arm to grab it out of mid air, when all of a sudden Marcus Flint flew in front of Harry, nearly knocking him off his broom. He sneered at Harry and Harry longed to punch him in the face with his still extended arm. He didn't think that was such a good idea; Flint was a lot bigger than Harry. Harry cursed quietly, the snitch had vanished.

Lee Jordan was sat in the commentary box, well aware of Remus and Sirius both shouting behind him. As a Gryffindor, he seemed to sympathize with Harry, but apparently he wasn't allowed to say so..

"So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"

"Jordan, I'm warning you—"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Harry dodged another bludger and then grabbed the handle of his broom worriedly. His broom had given a worrying lurch and Harry was quite sure it wasn't meant to. It did it again. It seemed determined to throw Harry off. It kept zigzagging through the air and Harry was quite sure he wasn't going to be able stay on it much longer. It lurched again, and Harry thought for a horrible minute that he was going to be sick. Nobody seemed to have noticed his plight however.

"Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — Oh no…"

People all around the stands seemed to notice at the same time. Harry didn't notice them noticing though. The lurching of his broom had gotten worse and it was all he could do to keep hold of it. It gave another jerk and Harry swung off the broom, barely managing to hold on with one hand.

Before Harry could really grasp the seriousness of the situation however, the broom stilled, giving Harry enough time to swing himself back on the broom. As soon as he was reseated he spotted the other seeker flying towards something and Harry raced after him. He was not going to let Gryffindor lose now.

The two of them dove towards the ground, shoulder to shoulder, each one trying to get slightly closer. The Slytherin pulled out of the dive slightly before Harry, who ended his mere inches from the ground. He still couldn't get close enough. Harry stood quickly and reached forward with all his might to catch the snitch. He inched closer on his broom, but too far and the broom crashed to the ground. Harry immediately stood, mainly to reassure Remus and Sirius that he was all right, and opened his mouth. The snitch must have flown in his mouth when he crashed because it fell out into his hands. He stared at it in shock for a moment before holding his arm up, showing the snitch to the crowd. There was thunderous applause and Harry grinned. They'd won.

_**AN: Once again, this chapter uses quite a lot of text from the book, mainly Lee Jordan's commentary. Of course, I don't own any of it. If I did, I wouldn't have killed Sirius **_

_**Oh, and I know I said I'd put up the prequel to this last week, but I wasn't happy with it, so I shall go back to the drawing board. If anybody has any ideas about what they'd like to see let me know. I have the majority of their years planned out, but I have one or two gaps that I cannot seem to fill. Please, let me know what you think about this chapter? **_


	9. Chapter 9: Warnings and Winning

Sirius didn't think he'd ever been so scared in his life watching Harry try to cling to his broomstick; not even the time that James nearly died after falling nearly 100 feet off his broom. It was different, watching James and Harry; even though something quite similar happened to each of them. Although, it had been James' own fault, and it most certainly was not Harry's. if he ever found out who cursed the broom he'd kill them, straight away; regardless of the fact that he'd be chucked back in Azkaban. That was how much he loved Harry.

"Harry! Thank God!" Sirius drew him into a hug, not caring that Harry's friends and teammates were still there. All that Sirius cared about was that Harry was safe. Said boy squirmed slightly and pulled away, a light scowl on his face. "Oh I see, too old to get a hug from your godfather?"

"Well, I am 11" Harry replied, as if stating the obvious. Sirius was aware of Remus standing slightly behind him, apparently waiting for Sirius' retort.

"I see. Though, for the record anyone that's too old for a hug, is too old for their godfather to take them into Hogsmeade"

Harry's eyes widened at Sirius' words. Sirius tried to suppress a smile as Harry threw himself at him, wrapping his arms around Sirius' waist. "Hogsmeade?"

"I thought we could go for lunch? I've cleared it with Dumbledore. Of course, Ron and Hermione are welcome to join us, if you want to?" Sirius addressed the question to the red headed boy and bushy haired girl.

"If it's not too much trouble then I'd love to come, thank you" Hermione answered politely, and then threw a glare at Ron when he merely said, "yeah…please"

Smirking, Sirius and Remus led the three first years out of the grounds and down to Hogsmeade.

OoOoOo

"Did you see anything happen to your broom? Did you feel any spells or anything?" Sirius asked Harry as they sat in the Three Broomsticks, waiting for lunch.

"Apart from when it started lurching? No, have you got any idea what happened?" Harry asked.

Hermione cleared her throat. She'd sat in near silence ever since they had entered the pub. She was obviously shy having lunch with two men that she only knew by association. "It was Snape. I saw him"

Sirius choked. Snape was an arse, there was no denying that, but there was no way he would do anything to Harry. He wouldn't try to kill Lily's son, especially not when he knew that both he and Remus were in the crowd. Besides the fact that he was a teacher and he'd have to be insane to attack a student, especially when an auror was present.

"Snape's a teacher. He's not going to attack a student" Remus said quickly, frowning as both Harry and Ron nodded in agreement.

"I don't think Snape's such a good guy. You said so yourself, he was awful at school" Harry answered petulantly, moving his hands to allow Rosmerta to place his lunch on the table in front of him. He muttered thanks and glared at Sirius, as if trying to endorse his point.

"He may have been awful at school, but we were probably equally awful back. Why are you all so convinced that he's a villain?" Sirius asked.

"Why was he trying to get past that three headed dog on Halloween then?"

Remus choked on a chip. "How the hell did you find out about the three headed dog?" Sirius demanded, utterly furious. He'd convinced himself that Harry hadn't found out about Fluffy. Damn. "And don't even think about lying Harry"

Harry paused, looking like he was in pain as he closed his eyes. "That day we snuck out, to duel Malfoy, we, um, got lost, kind of. We found our way to the corridor where the dog was"

Sirius and Remus shared a look. One of Harry's good qualities was that he was honest when he was caught. However, the fact remained that four eleven year olds should not have been able to get to Fluffy. He'd have to talk to Dumbledore…again. "How do you find this much trouble?"

"It's a skill"

"Clearly. I want you to promise me you won't go near Fluffy again" Sirius figured if they knew about the dog, there was no problem with them knowing his name. Plus he then got the added bonus of seeing the stunned looks on their faces. It was so worth it.

"Fluffy? What a stupid name for something that would quite happily eat somebody"

"Of course it's a stupid name, it's Hagrid's. And don't even think about asking him about Fluffy" Remus added, taking in the excited looks on their faces. Though Remus had warned them not to, Sirius was sure that they would ask him anyway. He knew that the marauders would if they were in Harry's place. Sirius felt like such a hypocrite telling Harry not to do things that he most surely would have. He was sure that Remus felt the same.

"What's it guarding?" Ron asked, trying to sound like he wasn't interested. It didn't work.

"I'm not that stupid, why would I tell you?" Sirius answered quickly.

"So you know then?"

"Of course I know, I'm an auror. Why are you three so curious anyway?" Sirius asked, fixing them all with a pointed look. All three of them suddenly found their lunch exceptionally interesting, until Harry mustered enough courage to answer the question.

"Because whatever it's guarding, Snape is trying to steal it"

Remus frowned. "Look at me. Snape is not going to try and steal something that he's protecting. I know he's not very nice, but he's not a bad guy"

Sirius restrained himself from slapping his forehead. Remus had told them something that would undoubtedly make them more curious. Sirius was sure he hadn't meant to. Hermione opened her mouth excitedly, no doubt to ask a question about what Remus had just said, but Sirius cut across her. "Stop. The point is, the stone is well protected and Snape is most definitely not trying to kill anybody. Just leave it"

Harry's retort was cut off by a squeal of "Harry!". That meant that Alex and Kura had returned from shopping. As much as Alex had wanted to come to the match, they'd both decided that bringing a two year old would be a bad idea. Hence the idea to bring Harry to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Sirius stood up to greet Alex, trying not to let the look of horror show in his face as he took in how many bags she had. That woman loved shopping. Sirius was quite sure he would have had to delve into the Black family vault if he didn't earn quite a bit being an auror.

"How was the match then?" Alex asked, catching a glimpse of the hat that Sirius had forced Remus to wear. He hadn't wanted to wear the hat when they were at school either, but James had threatened to permanently stick it to his head if he didn't. Sirius felt that he should carry on the tradition.

"It was brilliant. Gryffindor won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty" Harry answered proudly before he launched into retelling the entire story of the match. Sirius glanced over at Remus, and could tell instantly that they were both thinking the same thing. He was so like James it almost hurt to hear him gush about quidditch. James had done that once, and had been so enthralled in telling them about it, he hadn't noticed that they'd all made a quick escape. Sirius smiled at the memory.

"I have to say, after my heart had stopped racing, I could tell that it was a good catch" Remus told him, a smile on his already aging face.

"You think so?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Definitely Harry. I did think you were going to crash though, you must have been only inches from the ground when you stood up and caught the snitch" Sirius added. Ron nodded in agreement, his mouth full of burger.

Harry smiled shyly and bounced Kura on his knee. She giggled contentedly and threw her arms around Harry. Harry pulled her closer, into a hug. The two of them got along brilliantly and she'd asked about him nearly every day – apart from when she got to speak to him through the mirror. Sirius had told Harry, ever since Kura was born, that he had two children – a son and a daughter, and he fully intended for Kura to grow up believing that. he didn't want to replace James or Lily, but at the same time he knew that Harry needed stability, he needed a family. And now he had one – one to help celebrate his triumphs, mourn his losses and most importantly, to love him unconditionally.

_**AN: So, Uni has started again for me, which severely cuts down my time for writing. But, I think I have enough chapters ready to keep my weekly updates **_

_**Can I just say thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter? My Internet was down, so I've only just got them. In answer to PenNamelss1994's question, Hermione was the one who stopped Harry's broom. I thought it was a real shining moment for Hermione that I didn't want to change it.**_

_**Please leave a review? Do you guys think I'm sticking too closely to the book? Let me know what you think? (I promise I will do my best to reply)**_


	10. Chapter 10: Heart's desire

November passed in a flurry of rain and wind, and before Harry knew it, it was December and he was getting ready to go home for Christmas. Harry knew that Christmas this year would be amazing – Ron, Fred and George were all staying with them, as their parents were going to Romania to visit Charlie. Not to mention that Kura was now old enough to understand Christmas. It was going to be great, but Harry had to survive this last week at school.

Despite Remus' warnings, the three of them had gone to speak to Hagrid about Fluffy, and he'd let slip something about a man called Nicholas Flamel. Hermione had insisted that they try to find out who he was, and Harry and Ron were only too happy to oblige, even though it meant going to the library. Harry's logic was that Sirius hadn't said anything about researching this Flamel person, and so he didn't feel too guilty.

"There was nothing! I don't actually know where to look anymore," Ron moaned, angrily throwing himself into an armchair next to Harry.

"I feel sure I've read the name somewhere, I just can't remember where" Harry replied.

"Well, you'll just have to remember then, won't you?" Hermione added, taking the seat on Harry's other side. "I don't suppose you could ask –"

Harry interrupted her, already sure what she was going to ask. "I can't ask Sirius, because then he'll want to know how we found out about Flamel and then well have to tell him that we went against what both he and Remus said and saw Hagrid. He'll probably go nuts, and I'd rather not spend my Christmas with a Sirius and Remus who are furious with me"

"I've never seen Sirius angry, is he scary?" Ron asked curiously.

"He rarely gets angry, I've only seen him really angry once or twice, and he's even scarier than your mum is" Harry replied, shuddering slightly as he remembered the last time Sirius had been that angry. Harry had been nine and he'd stolen Sirius'broom. He'd wanted to go and see Neville, and he thought it would be easier if he took the initiative to go on his own, instead of bothering them. Remus, Sirius and Alex had obviously been beside themselves with worry, but as soon as Harry had got back, cold and wet after getting lost, Sirius' worry had immediately turned into anger. Harry didn't think he'd ever heard Sirius shout that loudly. He hoped he'd never do it again.

OoOoOo

Harry clapped his hand over his mouth, barely daring to breathe. He didn't dare move. Filch moved closer to where Harry was hiding. He was so screwed. The cloak made him invisible but he was still solid, and Filch would surely hear him. Desperately Harry looked for a way out. There was a door behind him, and it was ajar. He backed towards the door slowly, sure that the frantic beating of his heart in his ribcage would give him away at any time. Harry had to breathe in to squeeze through the door without moving it, but he managed it. He let out a sigh of relief as he heard Filch's footsteps fade away. He was taking no chances though – he was staying in this room until he was sure that nobody was out there.

He'd snuck out with the cloak, thinking that he could find Flamel in the Restricted Section. Hermione had mentioned it in passing this morning, and Harry thought it was a good idea. He thought there was less chance of him being caught if he went on his own. It didn't work out that way. The first book Harry had opened had started screaming…loudly. The noise had brought Filch and in his haste to escape, Harry had knocked his lantern over. He'd fled the library at high speed, but had soon found himself with no idea where he was.

He spun around and took in the room. It obviously was an old classroom, but that wasn't what caught his eye. A large mirror was stood against the wall. It was gold and it most definitely didn't belong in this disused classroom. Harry looked closer at it. The words _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi _were inscribed around the top. Harry didn't have a clue what that meant, but he felt a strange compulsion to move forward, to look into the mirror.

He gasped and looked around him in horror. There were people stood behind him. Lots of people. Except they were only in the mirror. Harry knew those people. Sirius and Remus had told him so much about them, and there were photos of them on his bedside. His mum and dad. They were there, except they weren't alone. Sirius and Remus were stood nearby, as were people he'd never seen before. He guessed that they were the rest of his family.

His dad moved forward and placed a hand on his reflections shoulder, smiling sadly at him the whole while. His hair stood up just like Harry's did, Sirius had always told him so. Harry swivelled his eyes to Lily. Harry thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Harry wished, more than anything that he could fall through the glass and join them. He loved Remus and Sirius, but nothing could ever compare to them. He wanted to know them so much it hurt. He'd never had that chance, and the injustice of that was so unfair.

Harry could have easily spent all night staring at them hungrily, but eventually he started to back away slowly, trying to fix their faces in his memory. "I'll be back tomorrow," Harry whispered, watching as the figures in the mirror faded away into nothingness.

OoOoOo

Harry couldn't concentrate on his lessons all day. All he could think of was his parent's faces, and that he would see them again tonight. He hadn't told anybody about the mirror, it seemed like a strangely private thing, seeing his parents. He didn't want to tell anybody about it, he felt that he should keep it to himself, just this one thing.

Harry sat, fidgeting impatiently until the end of the last lesson of the day, when he could go back to the mirror. He practically fled from History of Magic and grabbed some food from the Great Hall before throwing the cloak over himself and beginning the trek to the room where the mirror was.

He was greeted by smiles as soon as he entered the room. He grinned back and threw the cloak off, walking forward to sit in front of the mirror. He lifted a hand to the glass, smiling slightly as Lily did the same from her side of the mirror. Harry could almost pretend that they were real, that they weren't just images in the glass. Tears formed in his eyes as he stared at them. He wiped at his eyes furiously, promising himself that he wasn't going to cry. It wasn't like he didn't have anybody to love him.

"Back again Harry?"

Harry felt his entire body clench in fear as he turned around. He knew that voice far too well to have any misgivings about who he might be. Sure enough, Albus Dumbledore was sat on one of the desks, a strange smile on his sad face. Harry gulped; he had a horrible feeling that he wasn't meant to be here. "Sir…I-"

"Relax Harry. You're not in trouble. Though I am interested to know how you found the Mirror of Erised"

"I got lost last night, and I found it…" Harry lied quickly. He never normally lied, but he didn't think telling the headmaster that he'd snuck out was such a good idea. Besides, he hadn't really lied; he'd just withheld some of the truth. Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes looked him straight in the eye for a moment, and then looked away. "Sir, what actually is this mirror?"

"This? This mirror is both a blessing and a curse," Dumbledore answered solemnly. He carried on when he noticed the confused look on Harry's face. ""Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry stared at the headmaster for a moment, trying to work out the meaning of his words. Harry answered him slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want"

"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry rose to his feet, still thinking about his parents smiling faces. Harry couldn't deny that he'd wished his parents were still alive for most of his childhood, but he'd always told himself that he was being ungrateful. He had a brilliant family at home, better than what he could have wished for.

"Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore answered, smiling as he spoke. You may ask me one more thing, however"

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks"

Harry stared at him in shock. If he was honest, he most definitely hadn't been expecting that. But then again, Sirius had always said that Dumbledore was a bit mad.

"One can never have enough socks," explained Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "People will insist on giving me books"

_**AN: I've had a really tough week this week, and I didn't think I'd get this up on time. But I figured I shouldn't let you guys suffer just because I am **_

_**Please let me know what you think? I really need some good news this week :S **_


	11. Chapter 11: Christmas

Remus shivered and pulled his cloak tighter. It was damn cold. He and Sirius were waiting for the Hogwarts Express to return, bringing the students back for Christmas. Alex had managed to escape with Kura, and Remus was half convinced that he should have found a way to go with her. Not that he wasn't looking forward to seeing Harry of course; it was more the fact that they were also looking after Ron, Fred and George. It was only a few days until the full moon and Remus wasn't sure if he could cope with the two thirteen year old pranksters.

"I wish the train would hurry up. I haven't been this cold since – well, for a long time"

Remus winced at Sirius' words. He'd obviously been about to mention Azkaban, and then had stopped himself. Remus always felt a pang of guilt whenever those three awful years were mentioned. If he'd trusted Sirius, maybe he wouldn't have had to suffer those years of hell. James and Sirius had given him everything at school, but he didn't give Sirius the one thing he needed. Trust. The thought always made him feel slightly sick, he could distinctly remember the feeling of horror and revulsion when he realised what happened.

"Stop it Remus", Sirius' voice interrupted Remus' thoughts. "You got me out, and that's all that matters. The horror of those three years was nothing compared to the joy I felt when they said I was free"

Remus knew that wasn't true, he knew that Sirius still had nightmares about Azkaban sometimes, but the fact that Sirius was trying to make him feel better automatically did. Remus smiled and placed a gloved hand on Sirius' shoulder, both of them resuming their vigil for the train.

In no time at all the red steam engine had pulled into the station and the students were disembarking. Remus stood on his tiptoes, desperately looking for a messy black head. His search was interrupted by something fairly large crashing into him. He would have fallen over if Sirius hadn't been there to grab his shoulder. Remus looked down. It was Harry.

"I guess I'm a bit too big for that now, huh?" Harry asked, grinning as he moved over to hug Sirius.

"Well, I can't swing you up onto my hip anymore, unless you fancy both of us falling to the floor?"

"I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you" Harry smiled, and then waved six people over. Remus recognised the three Weasleys, who all grinned at Sirius and Remus, but he didn't have a clue who the bushy haired girl in front of them was, but he was sure that the two adults with her were the girl's parents. "This is the girl I told you about, Hermione Granger" Harry fixed them both with a look that clearly told them both not to mention that Harry had told them both that she was bossy and annoying.

After warmly greeting the Grangers, and numerous promises to get together over Christmas, the six of them made their way to the car. Sirius and Remus had shared a look, both clearly remembering the last time trunks and this car were combined, and levitated the trunks into the boot, Harry sniggering behind them.

"That wasn't funny you know. I nearly broke my toe" Sirius said, mock indignation clear in his tone.

"But you didn't, so I'm allowed to laugh. Isn't that what you told Remus when he nearly broke his nose after falling down the stairs?"

"That was completely different"

Remus shared a knowing smile with Harry and climbed into the car. They were on their way home – with Harry. Everything was right again.

OoOoOo

"Morning Remus" Harry said sleepily, forcing his words around a yawn. Remus turned around and laughed. Harry's hair was stuck up in nearly every direction.

"Morning Harry. Nice hair"

"I thought so. I think I'll leave it like this" Harry replied seriously, raising his hands to feel his hair.

"It would certainly be a conversation piece. Toast, Harry?" Remus asked, already walking into the kitchen. Remus and Harry both froze in the doorway to the kitchen. Sirius was trying to make Kura sit in her highchair and eat, but the only thing she was interested in was the presents under the tree, as her repeated cries of "PRESENTS!" could testify.

"Thank god" Sirius said in relief as Remus braved the room, after having decided that not having breakfast would be a more worrying prospect than a crying two year old. Remus jumped past the table and went straight to the counter, where he began the gargantuan task of preparing breakfast for four teenage boys.

"Kura, come on. Breakfast first then presents" Remus shook his head. He doubted that logical reasoning would work on the two year old. Remus turned around and laughed. Kura took one bite of her breakfast and then looked pointedly at her father, clearly telling him that one bite was enough and she should be allowed to go open presents now. Harry glanced at Remus, and it was all he could do to stop laughing.

Sirius sighed. "I'm really glad I offered to help with her breakfast. NO" Sirius added sternly as Kura began to struggle to get out of her highchair. She fixed him with a look so like his own puppy dog look that Sirius apparently didn't know what to do.

"Oh for Merlin's sake Sirius. I'll do it…I spent long enough with you to have an immunity to the look" Remus said exasperatedly, trying to hide the amused smile that threatened to ruin the stern look he sent Sirius' way.

"Nice hair Harry," Sirius said, eyeing him critically, "James did that once, do you remember Moony? He tried growing his hair, I think in a vain attempt to win over Lily, and it just stuck out of his head"

Remus looked up, smiling. "I also remember you hiding stuff in his hair"

Sirius laughed. "I managed to hide three galleons, two ink pellets and half a packet of Bertie Botts"

Harry roared with laughter. "You forgot the quill," Remus added, turning back to help Kura.

OoOoOo

"PRESENTS!"

"Well said Kura"

Remus rolled his eyes. Alex was handing out presents, and he wasn't sure who was more excited – Kura or the Weasleys. It was quite funny really, Fred and George were both bouncing in their seats, Kura kept fidgeting on Sirius' lap and Ron kept standing up. Though, Harry wasn't much better – he was sat next to Remus and Harry was fidgeting so much that Remus swore the sofa was actually moving.

"Well go on then, open them," Alex said. Remus wished she hadn't. Wrapping paper was literally thrown everywhere in the race to open presents. Remus was half tempted to hide.

"Wow. Thanks Remus" Harry breathed, having unwrapped the present just from Remus. It was a miniature Quidditch pitch. Remus had spent four months making it, ever since he and Sirius had brought Harry the miniature Wasps team for his birthday. Remus had to say; he was rather pleased with how it had turned out.

"I thought you'd like a pitch for your Wasps to play on" Remus said, suddenly worried that Harry didn't like it. "I mean, I had to make it by hand, but I thought it looked alright?"

Harry didn't say anything; he just threw his arms around Remus' shoulders and then pulled away quickly, blushing. He was obviously embarrassed to be seen hugging Remus in front of his friends. It didn't matter though; the three red haired boys were still ripping open presents. Remus smiled at Harry, he could remember feeling the exact way when he was younger, most especially when Sirius was there. Sirius didn't get much (or any) affection from his parents, and Remus had always felt guilty, having parents who loved him when Sirius didn't.

Remus unwrapped his own presents and was unsurprised to find a hand knitted jumper from Molly. He smiled and pulled it over his head, watching as Alex pulled the jumper over Kura's head. That little girl had been utterly spoiled this year, as per usual. The problem was, one look at her little face and you just wanted to spoil her. She was so different to the little boy that Harry had been, and yet they all loved her fiercely anyway.

Sirius leaned over to him, whispering in his ear. "Open the one from me, and don't react" Remus slightly nervously opened the small present from Sirius. He gasped.

It was a photo of all of the Gryffindor prefects and heads. It had obviously been taken in seventh year because James and Lily were both stood there. Remus was stood next to them, along with four other people. Roscoe Graves, Penelope Barbary, Ciaran McKinnon and Sierra Blake were stood, smiling at the camera. Remus felt his entire body go cold as he looked at the photo; three of the seven people in front of him were killed before the war ended. Remus glanced up at Sirius.

"I figured you can always have more reminders of the good times," Sirius whispered solemnly.

Remus tried to smile back, but he had a feeling it came out as a grimace. "Where did you find it?"

"I went back to the Potter's house, I was going to do it a long time ago…but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. They've got so many photos of James, and quite a few of Lily and the rest of us. I found some good ones for Harry, but I thought you'd appreciate that one"

Remus nodded numbly, his eyes still fixed on the photo in front of him. "Thank you Sirius"

"Remus, can you come and help me do the vegetables? I need another pair of hands, and I think Sirius' are full?" Alex asked, watching Sirius play with Kura. Remus nodded and rose to his feet, following her to the kitchen. Remus frowned when she pointed him towards the mountain of sprouts in the corner. Memories of peeling sprouts with Sirius, and starting a sprout war began to surface, and smiling slightly Remus began the task in front of him. Despite having the three Weasleys with them, or maybe because of that, this had been one of Remus' best Christmases for a very long time.

_**AN: I am so sorry this is late! I have literally been working like a madman to finish Uni work so I would have time to write and upload. It hasn't worked, and now I have a bad case of writer's block. It's OK though; I have a few chapters ready to upload, so all is good.**_

_**Also, I wrote a one-shot to go along with the last chapter – about Sirius and Remus finding out about the mirror. I would love it if you guys would go and check it out, and tell me what you think. Obviously, I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter as well. **_


	12. Chapter 12: Nicolas Flamel

"I have some bad news. Snape's refereeing this next match and he'll look for any chance he can get to take points off Gryffindor" Oliver Wood told them as the team traipsed back to the castle after an exhausting training session. Fred and George froze in horror and Harry's mouth dropped open.

"Why has he suddenly developed an interest in refereeing?" George asked furiously.

"He's not going to be fair, we might overtake Slytherin" Fred added, glaring angrily at Oliver.

Despite Sirius and Remus' assurances that Snape wasn't the one who jinxed his broom, Harry found his sudden desire to become a referee rather disturbing. He still didn't believe Sirius and Remus and he most definitely didn't want to give Snape the perfect opportunity to try again. Hermione wouldn't be able to stop the potions master with fire this time. The thought was deeply worrying, and he couldn't even go and talk to Sirius and Remus. They didn't believe him about Snape, and they'd probably spend the whole night trying to persuade him about Snape and not give him any advice. Harry cursed quietly and raced up to Gryffindor Tower to talk to Ron.

Harry found him trying to finish off a tricky potions essay, which Harry had thankfully finished. "Harry, there you are. How many Billywig stings did Snape say?"

"Six. Ron, listen," Harry launched into the story of Snape's sudden desire to referee a quidditch match. Ron looked appalled and Hermione, who'd wandered over at some point in the story, looked worried.

"Don't play Harry"

"If I don't play, Gryffindor will have to forfeit. And then Slytherin will stay in the lead"

"Well, you'll have to stay away from him then"

"What a clever idea Hermione! It's not like the referee has to keep an eye on all fourteen players, by staying close to them"

"Well, excuse me Ron for not understanding Quidditch" Hermione snapped back at Ron, who retorted instantly about how she must have read about the rules, the amount of books she read. Hermione gasped and raced up to the girl's dormitory. Ron stared at Harry, looking utterly perplexed.

"Did I upset her?" Ron asked concernedly.

"I don't know. Girls do weird things"

Hermione returned, moments later with an enormous old book in her hands.

"I never thought to look in here. I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading." Hermione told them excitedly. Harry stared at her, not really understanding what she was on about. He went along with it, assuming that Hermione would explain herself at some point. "Ron, what you said about having read the rules suddenly made me think about Flamel. Harry said he'd read the name before and I had a feeling that I had too"

"You mean, you think Flamel's in that massive book?" Harry asked curiously, excited that they might finally find the answer to Flamel riddle.

"I think so… or at least, I hope so. I'll look, just shut up a minute"

Hermione flicked frantically through the book, turning the pages so fast that they just looked like a blur to Harry. Harry and Ron glanced at each other, but they did as they were told and didn't say a word, even though Ron looked rather annoyed at being told to shut up. Hermione suddenly grinned and exclaimed, "I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" Ron asked grumpily. Hermione paid him no attention and began to read from the book.

"Here he is. Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"

"What?" Harry asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and read the entire passage out to them.

"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)"

Harry stared at her, letting the pieces fall into place. The dog was obviously guarding something, and it could quite possibly be the Philosopher's stone. As it was the only one, it was perfectly logical to assume that it needed protection, and Flamel may well have asked his friend Dumbledore to keep it safe for him. After all, someone had tried to steal it in July from Gringotts.

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying! No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it" Harry exclaimed, the final pieces of the puzzle slotting into position.

OoOoOo

Harry walked out onto the pitch, calmed somewhat by the presence of Dumbledore in the crowd. The sense of calm dissipated however when he spotted the angry look on Snape's face. Harry mounted his broom and took off, catching a glimpse of Sirius and Remus in the crowds.

Harry stopped in his search for the snitch when George hit a bludger at Snape. He couldn't necessarily blame him for it, but it probably wasn't the wisest move to make, especially not when Snape awarded the Hufflepuff team a penalty. Harry groaned as they scored, and then groaned again when Snape awarded Hufflepuff a penalty for no apparent reason. Harry resumed his search for the snitch, knowing that the only way he could stop Snape's biased actions affecting the match was to catch the snitch – and soon.

Harry suddenly spotted a glint of gold near the ground and he dived like a hawk, completely focused on his target. Harry was so focused on the snitch that he didn't even move out of Snape's path, he sped past him, barely inches away from crashing into the potions master. Harry grabbed the snitch and pulled out of the dive, the snitch held tightly in his hand. There was a moment of silence and then the stands erupted. Even the Hufflepuff's cheered – they might have lost the match, but somebody had finally overtaken Slytherin, something that they'd all been waiting for a very long time.

Snape looked utterly furious as he landed and the Gryffindors all spilled onto the pitch, roaring with delight. Harry felt himself being lifted onto somebody's shoulders and he grinned broadly. Harry looked around, Sirius and Remus were both waving and beaming, Oliver was crying with happiness and Harry could see Ron and Hermione jumping up and down in excitement, Ron with a heavy nosebleed (Harry would later find out that Ron had given Malfoy a black eye after the Slytherin had insulted him, and that Neville had tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle). Today was a good day.

OoOoOo

Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower. He needed to tell someone what he'd just seen and Remus and Sirius had both gone home. That left Ron and Hermione, and then he'd get the mirror and tell the two adults. As soon as he entered the common room he was greeted by shouts of delight. Harry didn't care, he caught Ron and Hermione's eye and ran up to the dormitory, already reaching for the mirror.

"Harry! What's going on? Where've you been? People have been asking about you"

Harry shook his head. "None of that matters now. I need to tell you something"

"What?"

"Shut up an I can tell you. I saw Snape and Quirrell in the forest. Snape is trying to force Quirrell into helping him get the stone. I heard him ask if he knew how to get past Fluffy and the other stuff, so you were right Hermione, when you suggested there were other things guarding the stone, but Quirrell wouldn't tell him – he kept going on about nit knowing what Snape meant"

Hermione looked terrified. "So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell staaands up to Snape?"

Ron groaned. "It'll be gone by Tuesday. What are you doing?"

Harry was about to call Sirius' name into the mirror, and he told them so. "I thought they could help, you don't seem keen on that idea"

Ron shook his head. "If you tell them about what you heard, they'll want to know how you found out, and then you'll have to tell them you disobeyed them and went to Hagrid. You'll be in tons of trouble, and I wouldn't be surprised if Remus tells Hermione's parents and mine. I'd rather not even think about the consequences"

"Surely being in trouble will be worth it if it stops Snape from getting the stone?"

"Have you met my mother?" Ron asked incredulously. Fair point. Mrs. Weasley was the kindest woman you could ever hope to meet, but she was very strict and could be terrifying when the situation called for it.

"Besides, even if Quirrell does tell Snape how to get past his spell, there's still Fluffy. Snape's not going to try and get past him again in a hurry – not after it nearly tore his leg off last time" Hermione explained.

Harry slowly put the mirror down. He still wasn't sure if it was wise not telling his guardians, but both Ron and Hermione made a good point. Maybe he'd wait a few days and see if Quirrell looked like he'd let something slip. Harry nodded to himself; there was no point in worrying Remus or Sirius if nothing was going to happen. That seemed a good idea.

_**AN: Yay for being on time! I'm not so sure about this chapter – its definitely not my best. Please let me know what you think? **_


	13. Chapter 13: Trust

Sirius had spoken to Dumbledore, and the headmaster had agreed to let Harry come home for the weekend. It was Kura's third birthday this weekend, and Sirius didn't want Harry to miss it. Sirius knew, from personal experience, that these days were the most important days of your life. He'd missed Harry's first four birthdays, and he didn't want Harry to endure anything near what he had. It wasn't the same, but he didn't want Harry to miss the things he had.

"Harry! I need your help!" Sirius shouted. The messy haired boy entered the kitchen, Remus not far behind him. Alex had taken Kura out for the morning, leaving Sirius to make her birthday cake. He was fine at actually making the cake, but he wasn't proving nearly so adept at decorating it.

"Can you not decorate it?" Harry asked, trying and failing to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Kura asked for a castle, and I can't do the turret" Sirius whined. He suspected that was the reason why Alex had taken Kura out – she had the artistic ability of a flobberworm. She really was awful at it. Sirius found it quite funny really.

"Padfoot, move. Harry and I can do it" Remus said, already pushing Sirius out of the way and taking the knife that Sirius had put down in annoyance. Sirius was kind of embarrassed by the inability to do it; he was normally good at making things. Though, in all fairness, he was good at making things with wood, not cake. Remus would be good at it – he seemed to be good at just about everything he put his mind to.

"You never did tell me why you have those nicknames?" Harry asked, helping Remus ice the cake. "I asked a while ago, but you diverted from answering me"

Bugger. He glanced at Remus, who had frozen. His meaning was obvious. "Do you know what animagi are?"

"Yeah, but what relevance does that have?"

"We were animagi, James, Wormtail and I" Sirius hated mentioning Peter, he was still furious with what he'd done. Harry didn't know who he was; he just knew that there had been a fourth marauder. They never mentioned him by name, he was merely called Wormtail.

Harry's eyes widened. "When did you do that? What do you transform into?"

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, Harry hadn't asked about the one discrepancy he'd just said. "James was a stag, Wormtail was a rat and I'm a dog"

"Why isn't Remus an animagus?"

Damn. Harry had noticed the discrepancy after all. Remus had dropped the knife. Sirius decided that Harry didn't need to know the truth yet. "Because, when we learnt, we were still at school – and Remus didn't want to break the law"

"You mean it was illegal?"

"Technically, it wasn't. there was no law saying that you couldn't do it…at the time. But it is illegal to not register – which we didn't do, I am now I will just say"

Harry nodded in agreement and leaned forward to help Remus again. Sirius sighed in relief. They'd managed to get away from that particular subject without too much damage. Remus had managed to force a smile back onto his face and Harry was none the wiser.

OoOoOo

Kura was kneeling on her seat at the table, a broad grin on her little face. Harry and Remus were sat on either side of her and Alex was stood behind her, watching Sirius carry the castle cake over to the grinning three year old. Sirius had to say, it looked amazing. He placed the cake on the table in front of her, having already lit the candles.

After singing Happy Birthday they watched as she blew the candles out, clapping her hands in joy.

"Sweetie, do you want to show Daddy what we got when we were out? While we cut you a slice of cake?" Alex asked, putting the camera away subtly. Kura nodded and dragged Harry out into the hall with her, apparently wanting his help with it. They returned a minute later, Harry laden with bags and Kura holding a stuffed pink dragon. She ran to Sirius, who swung her onto his lap.

"Look daddy, it's a dragon" Kura announced proudly, waving the dragon in front of his face.

"Very nice. Does he have a name?" Sirius asked, ignoring Remus and Harry, who were pulling toys out of the bag behind him.

"It's a girl Daddy" Kura told him in a tone that plainly suggested that she thought he was an idiot for thinking the opposite. "Her name is Princess"

Sirius nodded seriously, trying not to laugh at the look of solemnity on his daughters face. He caught Alex's eye, who was trying to laugh silently as she handed Kura a slice of cake.

Sirius smiled as she ate her slice of cake. He'd never thought his life would turn out like this. Sirius didn't think his life would ever have so much good and bad in it. He'd lost so much in the war, but at the same time he'd gained so much since. He wished, more than anything, that James and Lily could be here, but he wouldn't change what he'd gained for anything in the world.

OoOoOo

"Sirius, you said that Snape wouldn't hurt a student. How do you know?" Harry asked, shouldering his bag so he could return to Hogwarts.

Sirius sighed. When Harry got an idea in his mind, he most definitely ran with it. Both he and Remus had, on numerous occasions, tried to reassure Harry about Snape's innocence, but then, how could you persuade a child to trust someone when you weren't even sure if you trusted them yourself? He was sure Snape wouldn't try to kill Harry, but he knew that he'd been a death eater and, as Mr Potter had always said, no one stops being a death eater.

"Harry, I know he wouldn't hurt a student because Dumbledore trusts him. He wouldn't have hired a man who he thought would go round killing students"

"But then, why did he referee the next match if he didn't want to try again?"

Sirius inwardly cursed. He'd been slightly suspicious of that until Dumbledore had explained it to him. "Did you ever think that he was doing it to keep you safe? To ensure it didn't happen again?"

Harry opened his mouth and then closed it again, apparently lost for words. "Why does he hate me then?"

Bugger. Where was Remus when you needed him? "He doesn't hate you Harry, he hates your father and you look so like him that I think he assumes that you'll be just like him. Being raised by Remus and I won't have helped either"

"Why? Why should who I was raised by matter?"

This was straying very close to topics he didn't want to discuss. He didn't want to tell Harry that there was a bad air between the marauders and Snape. Granted, he and James had started it, but they had apologised to him the day after. Snape hadn't believed them and so the vendetta had begun. The marauders had pranked and picked on Snape mercilessly, but Snape had given as good as he got. Not that he had retaliated quite in the same way; his retaliatory swipes had always been dark and cruel. Hell, Sirius could remember one time when Snape had got one of his death eater friends to curse James; Sirius had jumped in front of him. He'd nearly died.

"Because Snape didn't like any of us. He probably thinks you're spoiled and arrogant. Just like he thought your dad was"

Harry opened his mouth furiously. "But I'm not spoiled or arrogant"

Sirius smiled sadly. "I know you're not, but he doesn't"

"Why did he hate you all so much anyway?"

Here we go. Sirius hadn't wanted to discuss this with Harry, but if he was honest with himself, he'd known this conversation would happen sooner or later. He just didn't want to ruin Harry's opinion of him, and especially not of his father. Despite his flaws, James Potter had been a good man, and Harry had been raised with that knowledge. Sirius could only hope that telling Harry the truth wouldn't shake that belief too much.

"We were all quite mean to him at school. You could say we took an instant dislike to each other. Especially James. I think they were both jealous of each other"

Harry snorted. "What on earth did Snape have that my dad could possibly have been jealous of?"

"Your mother," Sirius answered solemnly. "Lily and Snape were friends for years, and that bothered James immensely. She was the one thing your father wanted and couldn't have"

Harry paused to absorb those words. He didn't need to ask what James had; he'd grown up with stories about how good his dad was at Quidditch and how brave and clever he was. Harry looked up, green eyes meeting grey and he spoke. "Surely Snape wouldn't have just taken it?"

"No, he didn't. He retaliated – in a far worse way that innocent pranks"

"So he was cruel even then? How do you know he's not, I don't know, carrying on his vendetta?" Harry seemed to know that was an absurd suggestion as soon as he'd made it, but it was too late then.

"Really Harry? He might be mean, but he's not that stupid"

"Oh, you know what I mean. I just need to know Sirius, do you trust him?"

What a question. Did he personally trust Snape? Not in the slightest. But did he trust Dumbledore? Yes. "I trust in Dumbledore's judgement"

"You didn't answer the question" Sirius winced. He'd hoped Harry hadn't noticed that. It would seem that the days were gone when he could get away with diverting Harry's attention.

"I didn't answer the question because it's not an easy question to answer" Harry continued to stare at him, obviously still expecting an answer. Sirius answered slowly, weighing each word. "You know I don't like Snape, but I don't believe that he would do that. He is not a bad person; yes, he's done some bad things, but then, so have we all. I trust that he wouldn't try to hurt a student"

_**AN: Ugh, what a day. There was a fire drill, and being in a wheelchair meant that I had to stay in the building. Then I got told off for not knowing what I was meant to do. You'd think, at the age of 19, lecturers telling you off wouldn't bother you. But I was.**_

_**Anyway, enough moaning. I know the last chapter wasn't my best, but I really hope this one is back up to par. Please let me know what you think, and feel free to criticise, it really does help me improve as a writer. **_


	14. Chapter 14: Norbert

The Philosopher's Stone was soon pushed from their mind however. Hermione had started drawing up revision timetables and colour coding her notes. It would have been funny if she hadn't demanded that Harry and Ron do the same. Ron finally snapped when she forced them into going to the library.

"Hermione, the exams aren't for weeks"

"So? You do know we need to pass these exams to enter our second year?"

"Yeah, but Hermione, you'd have to be a complete cretin to fail. The only people at risk are Crabbe and Goyle"

"Oh honestly Ron, you have to get into the habit of studying for every exam. What if you get there and you don't know the answer to a question?"

"It's only one question! You're meant to get a few questions wrong"

Harry dropped his head into his hands as Hermione retorted. "Why on earth would you want to get a question wrong? The point of a test is to get as high a grade as possible"

"Nah, they think you cheated if you get all the questions right"

Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to his essay on dragon blood, trying desperately to block out the sounds of their 'conversation' (Hermione had told him off for remarking that they argued a lot). Harry grabbed the textbook and began to search for the uses, but as he did so he caught a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. He glanced up and he was stunned to see Hagrid trying to hide his bulk behind a bookcase. "Hagrid! What are you doing here?"

Hagrid shifted awkwardly. "Oh, er… I was just, er, looking. What're you lot up ter?" Hagrid frowned. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago" Ron announced. "And we know all about the Philosopher's St-"

"SHH!" Hagrid hissed, flapping his arms to make them shut up. "Don' shout about it, it's meant to be a secret"

"We want to talk to you about that. What else is guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy" Harry asked.

"SHH! I can't tell yeh that, especially not here. Come and see me later, I still might no' tell yeh, mind. But don't go talking abou' it"

"OK then. See you later" Harry said, watching Hagrid walk away, his hands firmly behind his back. He'd obviously been looking for something, and judging by the way he'd walked out, he'd obviously found it. Ron threw down his quill in annoyance after looking at his essay and comparing it to Harry's.

"I'm going to go see what he was looking at" Ron said and then walked off purposely towards the shelf where Hagrid had been. "I don't believe it, he was looking up stuff about dragons! Look: _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A dragon Keeper's Guide"_

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, I gave him one of my magical toy dragons a few years ago" Harry smiled at the memory. He'd gotten them for his first Christmas with Remus and Sirius, and he'd given one to Hagrid when he was sad. Of course, being given a miniature dragon by a six-year-old Harry had just made him cry more. Harry never did find out why he'd been so sad.

"Surely he wouldn't be that stupid. I mean, Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlock's Convention of 1709, everyone knows that" Ron told them.

"Well they're not exactly the tamest of magical creatures, are they?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Of course not**, **you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But, if they're so dangerous, what on earth is Hagrid up to?" Hermione asked, a slight tremor in her voice as she considered the possibilities of Hagrid and a dragon.

OoOoOo

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing dragons in hushed voices, but true to their word, they went down to visit Hagrid. The curtains were all shut and the only reason they knew that somebody was home was the smoke pouring out of the chimney. Hagrid shut the door quickly behind them, ushering them in quickly.

"So, what did yeh want to ask?"

"We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy" Harry asked, making a point not to mention anything that Remus or Sirius had said. He had a feeling that Hagrid woul be much less forth-coming if he knew that the three of them already had a vague idea.

Hagrid stared at the three of them, obviously disconcerted. "O' course I can't. I don' even know meself, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell yeh – yeh know far too much already. Yeh're not even meant to know abou' Fluffy"

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here. We only wondered who had done the guarding, really. We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you" Hermione said. Harry could have kissed her, if there was any way to get information out of Hagrid that was probably it.

Hagrid smiled at Hermione. "Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

That wasn't good. It was surely only a matter of time now before Snape attempted to steal the stone again. Despite his conversation with Sirius about Snape at Kura's birthday, Harry still wasn't convinced of his innocence. The way he treated Harry most definitely did not help matters. Harry shared a glance with Ron, who nodded worriedly. They would tell Sirius and Remus…tonight.

However, something happened next that drove any thoughts of talking to Sirius and Remus from their minds. Harry glanced at the roaring fire and froze. There was no way that was what he thought it was. It just couldn't be. "Hagrid, is that what I think it is?"

"Well, that depends on what you think it is" The three of them ignored Hagrid's feeble attempt at a joke and stared at what was, quite plainly, an egg. Not just any egg mind, it looked worryingly like a dragon egg.

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" asked Ron, as he stared at the egg with a mixture of curiosity and revulsion. "It must've cost you a fortune"

"Won it, las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest"

Hagrid seemed disturbingly pleased to have a dragon egg, something that didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. "What are you going to do with it when it hatches?"

Hagrid smiled and pulled out a book. "Well, I got this outta the library —Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit — it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

Harry's mouth dropped open. Hagrid seemed thrilled by this turn of events, not terrrrified as he most likely should have been.

Hermione tried to make him see reason. "Hagrid, dragons breathe fire, you live in a wooden house"

OoOoOo

The three of them spent the rest of the week worrying about Hagrid. Harry hadn't told his guardians about the illegal dragon, and he had no intention of doing so – as stupid as he thought Hagrid was being, there was no way that he wanted to get Hagrid into trouble. Dragon breeding was an arrest able offence, and though Harry didn't know much about Azkaban, he knew it wasn't somewhere he wanted Hagrid to go. As an auror, Sirius would be honor bound to report Hagrid, so it was better all around if he said nothing.

It wasn't until breakfast a few days later that they heard from Hagrid. Hedwig, Harry's present for getting into Hogwarts, swooped into the great hall, dropped a note on Harry' plate, stole his bacon rinds and flew back out again. Harry ripped the note open. "It's hatching"

Ron and Hermione stared at him for a moment, before Ron announced a desire to skive herbology and go straight to Hagrid's. Hermione put her foot down and told him that they were going to herbology and that there would be no debate on the matter.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed.

Malfoy was stood only feet away and he had a malicious looking smile on his face, and Harry worried about what he'd heard throughout the entire herbology lesson, so much so that the Venomous Tentacula almost caught him. Professor Sprout saved him, but then took 5 points off him for not concentrating. As soon as the bell rang for the end of the lesson, the three of them ran down to Hagrid's Hut, hoping to see the dragon.

Hagrid opened the door almost instantly and ushered them inside, proudly informing them that it had nearly hatched. They all took seats around the table and stared at the egg in the middle of the table. The cracks on its black surface were growing larger by the second and it was making an odd clicking noise. A loud cracking noise filled the hut and the egg split open, revealing a very odd looking dragon. It had bulging orange eyes, large spiny black wings and small horns on the top of his head. Harry thought it might have been the ugliest thing he'd ever seen.

Hagrid gasped, tears of joy forming in his black eyes. "Isn't he beautiful" Hagrid stretched out a hand to stroke it scaly head. It snapped at him, and then sneezed, sparks flying from the end of his nose. "Bless him, look, he knows his mummy"

Harry and Ron shared a glance, clearly both thinking the same thing. "Hagrid, how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow?" Hermione asked, having missed the look between Harry and Ron.

"Well, yeh see-" Hagrid suddenly stopped speaking and dashed to the window, all the colour gone from his face.

"Hagrid, what's wrong?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school"

Harry raced to the door and looked out, closely followed by Ron and Hermione. The sun glinted off his white blonde hair and Harry groaned. Malfoy had seen the dragon. They were in trouble now.

OoOoOo

They spent the next week trying to reason with Hagrid. It wasn't working. They'd tried telling him it was illegal, reminding him that he was at a school and that dragons were dangerous, that the dragon would soon get too big for the hut. They even resorted to lying, they told him people were getting suspicious of his absence. None of it worked, Hagrid seemed to be completely in love with the foul creature.

"I've decided to call him Norbert" Hagrid announced as soon as they arrived to reason with him again. Hermione's mouth dropped open and Ron leaned over, muttering "He's lost it" in Harry's ear. Harry couldn't help but agree.

"Hagrid, you can't keep him – Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment"

Hagrid bit his lip as tears formed in his eyes. "I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him"

Harry rolled his eyes. As the three helped Hagrid feed the dragon, Harry froze. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this sooner. He looked Hagrid straight in the eye. "I have a plan"

_**AN: Sorry this is a couple of days late, I am literally up to my ears with coursework. This story is actually the only thing keeping me sane. Oh well, off I go to write a 2000 word essay on carbon capture.**_

_**Please review? **_


	15. Chapter 15: Detention

"Harry! We need a word," Sirius snarled.

They'd got a letter from Hogwarts this morning, informing them that Harry had been caught on the Astronomy tower at midnight last night, and that he'd made up a story about a dragon to get away with it. Remus wasn't quite sure if that sounded like Harry – when he was caught, he normally told the truth. But the fact still remained that Harry had been caught sneaking out. Remus was painfully aware that they hadn't told him off last time, but the lie about the dragon had gone too far. Especially if it wasn't a lie.

Harry walked after them, hands in his pocket and hanging his head. He followed them into an empty classroom and braced himself, apparently waiting for the explosion. He looked utterly wretched.

Sirius looked to be so angry that he could barely speak, so Remus took over. "Explain yourself Harry"

"You already know what happened. We got caught on the astronomy tower," Harry answered sullenly, staring at his shoes.

"Why were you there?"

Harry looked to be doing some quick thinking, as if he were trying to think of a way to answer the question. Remus intervened quickly. "Harry why did you lie about the dragon?"

"We never said a word about a dragon! That was all Malfoy" Harry said indignantly.

"So there was no dragon? Why were you up on the Astronomy Tower? And why wasn't Ron there?" Sirius asked, finally managing to control his temper.

Harry continued to stare at his shoes. "Ron's in the Hospital Wing. We just wanted to get Malfoy in trouble, but we had to go and check if it worked, and we got caught"

Remus and Sirius glanced at each other. "Harry, what you did to Malfoy was cruel. Didn't you listen to me the other day? The reason Snape is so horrible to you is because we were cruel to him at school. Malfoy might carry that for the rest of his life" Sirius said.

Harry didn't move, he just carried on staring at his feet, which Remus thought was odd. Normally, Harry would have thrown himself at Sirius by now and began apologising to every living person on the planet. Remus couldn't tell if this was a sign of Harry growing up, or a sign that there was something far deeper at play.

"Harry, don't you have anything to say?" Remus asked quietly, disturbed by the change in Harry's demeanor. Harry looked up, and yet still managed to avoid both Remus' and Sirius' eyes.

"Sorry, we didn't mean for this to happen"

Remus watched Harry carefully, something was not adding up here. "How on earth did you persuade Hermione to try and get Malfoy in trouble? She's even more of a goody two-shoes than your mother was" Sirius said.

Harry brightened at the mention of Lily, but then alarm spread over his face as he realised that his story was starting to fall apart. "Erm…Hermione was only the lookout. It was my idea"

Remus glanced at Sirius sceptically. "And why is Neville in trouble as well? Surely you didn't drag him along too?"

"No. he fell for the story we fed Malfoy and he tried to warn us. Look, I'm really sorry, but can I go now? I'm knackered" Harry looked at the two of them, trying to maintain the abashed look and look hopeful at the same time.

there was a pause. "Go on then. Remember we love you" Sirius said, pulling Harry into a quick hug. Remus hugged him next and then they both stood and watched him walk back to the common room. As soon as he'd disappeared Remus turned to Sirius.

"I have a feeling that Harry was lying, I think he was trying to protect someone"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of course he was lying, I just don't know what about. Don't worry though, we'll find out eventually"

"You don't think there really was a dragon, do you?"

"No, even they wouldn't be that stupid"

OoOoOo

Harry's face appeared in the mirror, shouting his head off. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning, and Remus had, until that moment, been in a very deep sleep. Cursing himself for persuading Sirius to let him have the mirror, Remus stumbled over to the mirror. Sirius charged into the room mere seconds after, his hair messy and his eyes wild, searching for the thing that was shouting in Harry's voice. Before Remus or Sirius could say a word, Harry began to speak, loudly and angrily. "You told me Voldemort was gone!"

Remus and Sirius stared at each other, alarm and confusion warring through both of them. "What? He is gone Harry. What's wrong?"

"Stop lying to me! He's not gone" Harry snareld back, his voice rising.

Remus glanced at Sirius. The poor man looked like Remus felt. Swallowing against the rising panic in his chest, he managed to choke out. "Harry, stay in the common room, we'll come to you"

Sirius sent a quick patronus to Dumbledore, and then the two of them grabbed some clothes and stepped through the floo, Remus still buttoning his shirt. Dumbledore obviously knew something was going on, for he sent them back a patronus telling them the password and offering his assistance. They ignored it and charged up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. Harry was sat in the common room, having sent Ron and Hermione to bed. He looked terrified and furious, all at the same time. "You lied to me"

"About Voldemort? We told you he was gone, because he is Harry. Why do you suddenly ask?"

"I've seen him" Remus felt his entire body go cold. He was vaguely aware of Sirius collapsing into a chair next to him as Remus stared at Harry in horror.

"When you say 'you saw him' what do you mean?" Sirius croaked.

Harry looked at him in consternation for a moment before he answered, his voice shaking. "I was in the forest – it was my detention, for the dragon thing and we were looking for the unicorn, when we found it. It was dead and there was something drinking its blood. It looked up and I thought my head was going to explode, my scar felt like it was on fire. A centaur saved me, and told me who it was"

For the first time in ten years, Remus felt afraid. He didn't care about himself, but he was terrified about what this might mean for Harry. Something Harry said stuck in his mind. "You were in the forest? Looking for an injured unicorn? What the hell was Dumbledore thinking?"

"There are far more important things than that Remus. Like what the hell Voldemort was doing at the castle," Sirius snapped, already falling back into auror mode.

"Firenze seemed to think that he was after the Philosopher's stone – the Elixir of life"

They were both so disturbed by Harry's words that neither of them paid much attention to the fact that Harry knew about the stone. Remus and Sirius stared at each other, both knowing what that could mean. "That's not good..." Remus trailed off, not sure what to say.

"No, its not. Though, I don't think he'll get past Fluffy. The stone's safe, but just in case, I'm going to tell Scrimgouer and suggest searching the forest," Sirius said, already striding towards the fireplace.

"Harry, are you all right? You must be terrified" Harry looked at Remus, clearly warring with himself. Remus took pity on him and held out his arms for a hug. Harry ran towards him like a starving man runs for food. Remus enclosed Harry in a tight hug, knowing that the poor boy probably needed reassurance right now. Remus knew that he would have. It was one thing to come face to face with the most evil wizard of all time; it was another thing entirely to see the man who murdered your parents. Remus was aware of Harry trembling and he pulled the boy onto the sofa next to him, tracing circles on his back as he struggled not to cry.

"Harry, do you remember what he looked like? Or what he did?" Sirius asked softly.

"No, he was wearing a cloak… He started to come towards me, but Firenze showed up and scared him off"

Remus and Sirius shared another look. This evening was just getting worse. That Voldemort was still alive and was in the forest was a horrifying thought. They'd fought so hard to get rid of him, and it all meant nothing. All the people who died, they died in vain. The one thought that had been comforting to Remus was that every body that had died, had died fighting for something. It was like a physical blow to the stomach to know that wasn't true.

"Harry!" Sirius said suddenly, "Did he have a wand?"

"I didn't see one, but then I only saw him for a second before my scar started hurting. Sorry"

Remus pushed Harry's hair off his forehead and looked at his scar. It was red and inflamed. In the past, whenever Harry had a nightmare and his scar hurt, Harry would end up climbing into bed with one of them, a cold compress pressed on his forehead. "Does your scar still hurt now?"

"Not really. Did it hurt because Voldemort was there? I mean, it only ever used to hurt after I'd had a nightmare?"

Remus tried not to glance at Sirius. Dumbledore had told them his suspicions a while ago about Harry and Voldemort, and there was no way in hell that Remus was going to tell him that. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that that Voldemort was the one who gave you the scar"

Harry nodded, just as Sirius rose to his feet. "That'll be Scrimgouer, I have to go. Harry, do you want to come home for the weekend? To get away from everything?"

Harry nodded again and Remus began to lead him out of the common room. "I'll see you later Sirius. Stay safe" Remus whispered as he passed the auror. Sirius nodded and reached over to ruffle Harry's hair, watching them go. As soon as they were off the grounds, Remus took Harry's arm and apparated home.

"It'll be OK Harry. The aurors will find him, and this time they'll be able to stop him. Just go to sleep, and it'll all be right again by morning" Remus told Harry quietly as they walked through the front door. Harry didn't answer; he just stumbled into his room and kicked his shoes off. He pulled robes, jumper and tie off and then proceeded to throw himself on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Remus smiled and walked into his own room, knowing full well that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

_**AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review? My reviews have tailed off a bit and I just want to check that people are still enjoying it?**_

_**Also, I've put up a one shot prequel about Remus before Fight or Flight. I'd be honoured if you guys would go and check it out and leave a review?**_

_**And lastly, thank you so much for reading this far **_


	16. Chapter 16: Through the trapdoor

The aurors hadn't found anything. An exhausted Sirius had returned home in the late morning, told them what had happened and had then gone to bed. Harry had shrugged and then resumed going through his transfiguration notes. He was not going to let on how much that bothered him, not even when he'd said goodbye to Remus and Sirius and returned to school. He didn't want them to worry, and he thought that maybe if he told himself he wasn't worried enough times, he might eventually believe it.

Ron and Hermione had been terrified when Harry had told them what he'd seen, but they didn't seem quite so worried now. If possible, Harry was even more worried. He kept having nightmares about figures drinking unicorn blood and his scar kept burning. It made it rather difficult to concentrate on the exams that the entire school was suffering through. The heat didn't help, especially in the room where they wrote their theory exams. The practical part of their exams was hard as well. The teachers seemed to want to test them on the trickiest things they'd learnt that year, and so Harry probably cheered the loudest when their final exam was over.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," announced Hermione as they followed the rest of the students out onto the ground. It was too hot to do much of anything, so they threw themselves in the shade of a large tree and watched the Giant squid. Fred, George and Lee were tickling its tentacles as it basked in the shallows.

Ron lay back on the grass, stretching his legs out. "No more studying. You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet"

Harry's scar was hurting and he was rubbing it furiously. "I wish I knew what this means! My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey, or tell Remus and Sirius" Hermione suggested.

"They don't know what it is either. I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…"

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry agreed, even though he had a horrible feeling that there was something obvious in front of him, but he just couldn't think of what it was. He was sure he'd heard all the facts, he just needed to arrange them in the right way. He suddenly jumped up, pieces finally clicking into place.

"Where're you going?" Ron asked drowsily.

"I've just thought of something," Harry answered quickly, well aware that all the blood had drained from his face. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now. Don't you think it's a bit odd , that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, following Harry as he raced across the grounds. Harry ignored him and continued towards Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid was sat outside his house, shelling peas into a large bowl. He opened his mouth to greet them, but Harry cut across him. Harry had heard about the Hog's Head, and he knew that the most obvious question would never get a decent answer.

"Hagrid, the night you won Norbert, did you ever find out who the man was, or what he did?"

"Nah, people are very secretive up at the Hog's Head. We di' talk though, about other animals – like Fluffy"

"Was he interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —"

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, both of whom looked shell-shocked. Hagrid looked disgusted with himself. "I shouldn't told yeh that! Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"

The three of them raced to the castle, somehow each one knowing where they wanted to go. They skidded to a stop as soon as they entered the castle.

"We need to tell Dumbledore what we know. Where's his office?" neither of them had a clue. "We'll just have to —"

Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared. "What are you three doing inside?"

"We need to see Professor Dumbledore. Its urgent"

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once. Is there something I can help you with?"

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione questioningly – they just shrugged. "It's about the Philosopher's stone. We think someone's trying to steal it"

Professor McGonagall stared at them, complete shock on her face. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor —"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about, I suggest three of you return to your dormitories"

Harry knew a dismissal when he heard one. They walked up to the common room, feeling defeated. As soon as Harry was sure they were alone, he whirled around and spoke to the others.

"He's going after the stone tonight. I think we'll have to go after the stone ourselves, I mean, no one will even believe us"

Slowly Ron and Hermione nodded and they all found ways to distract themselves until everybody had gone to bed, the Gryffindors still ignoring them due to the massive points loss the dragon incident had caused. Harry didn't mind it so much tonight, it gave him time to think.

As soon as the last student had gone to bed, Harry pulled the cloak out and prepared to throw it over the three of them. A voice interrupted them and Harry hastily tried to hide the cloak behind his back.

"You're going out again. You can't go out, you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble." Neville suddenly appeared from behind an armchair.

"You don't understand," Harry said desperately, painfully aware of the seconds ticking away as they stared at each other, "this is important."

Neville looked like he were having an internal debate and then he suddenly dashed to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I won't let you do it, I'll — I'll fight you!"

"Neville, " Ron said angrily, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us. Neville, you don't know what you're doing." Ron said, his patience clearly at an end.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to look pleadingly at Hermione, but no words were needed. Her wand was already in her hand, and there was a look of determination on her face. "Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this. Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione cried, pointing her wand at Neville.

Neville's entire body went rigid as his arms and legs snapped to his sides. He swayed and then fall flat on his face, unmoving. Harry recognized it as the full Body Bind curse. The three of them turned him over, each of them trying to avoid looking in his eyes.

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." Hermione whispered miserably.

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," Ron added as Harry threw the cloak over them.

OoOoOo

Harry pushed open the door to the third floor corridor, trying not to think what Remus and Sirius would say if they saw him now. It wasn't a comforting thought. They were notoriously protective of him, and they'd probably go mad if they knew what he was doing. They could all hear the deep, rumbling growls of the three headed dog, but before it could do anything Harry brought the flute that had been a Christmas present to his lips. Immediately, the dog's growling ceased and it slumped to the floor, already asleep.

Ron pulled the trapdoor open and Harry signaled to him that he should go first. He handed Hermione the flute, told them what to do if he didn't reply and jumped into the darkness, trying to ignore the thrill of fear that he felt.

Harry had barely any time to think about falling before he hit he soft ground. He hadn't expected that. He called to the others and waited as they jumped down. Hermione immediately screamed and struggled off the thing they'd landed on. Harry only had a moment of confusion before something began to wrap around his leg. Horrified, Harry looked down. A dark green tendril of something was creeping up towards his chest.

"It's devil's snare" Hermione cried.

"And its name helps us how?" Ron asked sarcastically before trying to wrestle with the tendrils wrapped around his chest.

Hermione glared at him. "Shhh! I'm trying to remember how to kill it. It likes the dark, but…"

"But what? Make some light!" Harry snapped. Hermione obliged and Harry and Ron both jumped off the plant.

Ron didn't say anything; he just sent Hermione a disparaging look, which she ignored. Harry smiled slightly and the three of them walked towards the next door slowly, wary of what was behind the next door.

The next room seemed to be full of glittering butterflies. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen an odder sight. Until of course, he moved closer and saw that they weren't butterflies, they were keys. Ron and Hermione both ran to the door on the other side of the room. It wouldn't budge, no matter what they tried.

"Well, now what do we do?" asked Ron.

"Isn't it obvious, they're keys. We obviously have to catch the key" Harry answered calmly.

"Catch it? How are you even going to find it?" Ron exclaimed.

"I'm not the youngest seeker in a century for nothing you know" Harry replied, already moving to the pile of broomsticks. Hermione and Ron declined, Hermione informing them that she was far safer on the ground. Having seen her in flying lessons, Harry couldn't help but agree.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle" Ron told them, already squinting up at the flock of keys. Harry nodded and climbed onto the broom. He took off instantly, already searching for the key. He eventually spotted one with a broken wing and he flew towards it, eventually pinning it against the wall. He landed quickly and rammed the key into the lock. It made a satisfying clicking noise and Harry let the key go. The three of them walked through the door and stopped stunned by what they saw.

Harry's heart sank as he took in the sight before him. It looked like a giant chessboard. There were giant black pieces in front of them. Harry caught a glimpse of a door behind the white pieces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry hissed at the room in general.

Ron replied, "It's obvious, isn't it? We've got to play our way across the room. This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…"

Ron paused, obviously trying to think of a plan. Harry couldn't help but smile; Ron was the best chess player he'd ever seen. If anyone could get them through this, it was Ron.

"Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"

"We're not offended. Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle, and I'll be a knight," said Ron.

Three chess pieces walked off the board, leaving places that were soon filled by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ron both stared across the board waiting for the white pieces to make their move.

Ron began to direct the black pieces, like a general sending his troops off to war. Harry had to say, Ron was stunning at this game. By the time Ron decided that he had to be taken, there were only a few white pieces left. Despite Harry and Hermione's protests, Ron seemed set on the idea.

"That's chess!" Ron told them angrily "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But —"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron —"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

Try as he might, Harry could not think of another way out of this. There was a reason they'd put Ron in charge of this, he'd never been very good at chess. Slowly Harry nodded.

Ron didn't say anything; he just stepped forward, waiting for the white queen to pounce. He was trembling as he watched her move towards him. She struck Ron and dragged his still form off the board

Horrified by what he saw, Harry moved into position calling checkmate as he went. The white king threw his crown to the floor, and Harry and Hermione charged through the newly opened door, trying desperately not to worry about how badly Ron would be hurt.

"What if he's —?"

"He'll be all right Hermione. What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."

Harry pushed open the door and nearly gagged. Harry pulled his robes over his nose and walked into the room. A massive troll lay on the floor, a large lump on his head. It was far bigger than the one they'd tackled, and Harry for one was damn glad they didn't have to fight this one. They both raced through the room, trying not to breathe in the foul smelling air.

Harry opened the door, wand in his hand as he braced himself for what was to come. Nothing. There was a table with seven different bottles on it. They stepped forward and immediately, fire sprang up in the two doorways, trapping them in this room. They glanced at each other and ran towards the table where a sheet of paper lay. Hermione grabbed it and began to read, leaving Harry to read it over her shoulder.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Harry stared at the riddle in horror.. he didn't think he could figure that out even under the calmest of circumstances. Hermione however, was smiling.

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But so will we, won't we?"

"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which to drink?"

"Give me a minute."

Hermione read through the paper again, muttering to herself and pointing at the bottles. Eventually, she looked up, a broad smile on her face. "Got it. The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."

"There's only enough there for one of us," he told her, sure that she'd already figured that out. "That's hardly one swallow. Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed to the bottle at the end of the line and Harry nodded.

"You drink that. No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him"

Hermione nodded slowly and then ran to Harry, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

"Hermione!"

"Harry — you're a great wizard, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," Harry admitted bashfully.

"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!"

"I will" Harry assured her, reaching for the tiny bottle and downing it in one. He walked forward and through the flame, almost as if the flames weren't there. He spotted the figure staring at the mirror of Erised. It wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.

_**AN: I really hope you like this, even though I know it's not actually very different to the book. I tried to add my own view to it, but I didn't actually want to change it too much – I really like this chapter in the book. **_

_**Please, let me know what you think? **_


	17. Chapter 17: Hospital

"Kura, do you want to help me decorate the biscuits?" Sirius called, listening intently for the squeal and sound of running footsteps that was sure to follow. Sure enough, a little face appeared in the doorway and Sirius beckoned her over. He picked her up and made her sit on the countertop, having already made her wash her hands and given her an apron. "What colour shall we do the icing?"

Kura replied almost instantly, "Pink!" Sirius smiled. She was nothing if not predictable.

"Pink it is then. Do you think you can stir the icing while I add the stuff to make it pink?" Kura nodded importantly and Sirius handed her the bowl and spoon, watching her stir it as he poured the food colouring in.

"Daddy, is it done?" Sirius looked at the bowl. The shade of pink almost hurt his eyes. He might have been a little over zealous with the food colouring.

"So it is. I'll give you a biscuit, and you can put the icing on" And so the production line began. Sirius was holding the last biscuit for her to decorate when Remus burst in the room. He looked terrified of something.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius asked, wincing slightly as Kura got icing on his fingers.

"Its Harry. He's in the hospital wing"

The biscuit fell to the floor, dropped by suddenly nerveless fingers. Sirius stared at Remus aghast. A strange feeling was rising in his chest; it was blocking his airways and making it hard to breathe. He forced in a breath, barely hearing Kura tell him off for dropping the biscuit.

"W-What? How? Why?"

"It didn't say. Dumbledore will tell us when we get there"

"Dumbledore?" Sirius asked numbly. He didn't feel right, Harry couldn't be hurt. The thought terrified him more than anything else. The boy had endured so much already, he didn't deserve any more. Why was the headmaster involved? Surely this didn't have anything to do with the stone. Sirius was aware that Harry knew more than he should, but Sirius had been too worried about Voldemort to say anything to him.

"We have to go and see him" Remus told him, his voice shaking slightly. Sirius nodded and quickly cleaned Kura up, before grabbing her and telling Alex.

OoOoOo

Sirius had never been a man that cried a lot, but seeing his godson laid in that bed was enough to make tears form in his eyes. He looked so small and young to be going through what he was. Voldemort. That bastard had done it again. Sirius' deepest wish was that he would just rot somewhere, leaving them all with the peace that they fought so hard to get. Dumbledore had always told them that that was unlikely, that the dark lord would return someday, and though they could try to thwart his attempts as they occurred, it wouldn't be enough. The day would come when Lord Voldemort would rise again.

Sirius took the seat at the side of Harry's bed and took his hand gently, occasionally dropping it to stroke the messy hair off of Harry's forehead. He'd already spoken to Dumbledore, and had nearly shouted himself hoarse doing so. He now understood perfectly well what was wrong with Harry – not that it made staring at his godson's seemingly lifeless body any better.

Harry had been one of the things that had kept him sane in Azkaban. As soon as Voldemort had murdered James and Lily, Sirius had wanted to apologise to Harry for what he saw as a failure. Harry had been the one good thing he had left in Azkaban, and for such a long time he and Remus had been all that Sirius had. The thought of him being hurt was eating at Sirius from the inside.

"Daddy, is Harry sleeping?" Kura's little voice asked. Sirius looked down, he was almost surprised to see her sat on his knee. He'd been so focused on worrying about Harry, that everything else had seemed to just fade away.

"Kind of sweetie. He got hurt, he did something silly" Sirius replied, one eye watching Remus who was sat opposite him. He looked white as a sheet as he stared at Harry.

"Oh…can't you kiss it better?" Kura asked hopefully. Sirius smiled and he was sure he saw Remus' lips twitch. If only it were that simple.

"No, I can't. We just have to wait for him to wake up" Sirius answered sadly. Just then, Harry's eyes began to twitch. Sirius watched with bated breath as the emerald eyes opened. They were unfocused, so Sirius handed him his glasses just as Remus stood up to tell Madam Pomfrey he was awake.

"Hello" Harry said quietly, watching as a matching smile appeared on both Sirius and Kura's face. "How long have I been here?"

Ignoring Kura's reply of 'ages', Sirius replied. "About a day. Professor Dumbledore found you"

Harry shuddered, "with Voldemort"

"He's gone now, you're safe" Sirius replied quickly. Harry looked at the three seats around the bed, and noticed someone missing.

"Where's Alex?"

Sirius smiled sadly. "Trying to console Hagrid. He was a complete mess when he realised what happened to you"

"But it wasn't his fault. He was bribed into telling Voldemort!" Harry said back quickly. Sirius sighed. Of all of James' traits to have inherited, Harry had got James' fierce loyalty.

"Harry, you could have died! Hagrid knows that, and he's furious with himself for putting you in danger… as he should be" Sirius answered quietly. He could see the argument forming in Harry's eyes and he held up a hand to stop him. "I know he meant no harm, and I know that Voldemort appealed to his one weakness. I kind of understand, but that doesn't make what he did any less dangerous. Even if he didn't mean to do it"

Harry frowned. "You can't blame a man for something he didn't have a choice over"

Remus walked back over, obviously having heard the entire conservation. "Of course he had a choice. There is always a choice, even if the alternative is too ghastly to think about. And by the way, we know all about the dragon and I for one would like to know what on earth made you think that not telling us was a good idea"

Harry looked at him, clearly trying to think of a way out of answering Remus. Sirius got there first. "Let's talk about it later. As in, when we're not in the Hospital Wing. Just know that we'll be having words about it later. But we are very proud of you for trying to protect Hagrid"

Harry smiled slightly and then hung his head. Sirius felt his heart clench as he looked at him. He looked just like James when the two of them had been caught looking for Mr Potter's stash of firewhiskey. The thought brought a slight smile to his face.

"What happened to Ron and Hermione?"

The smile slid off his face as he remembered why they were with Harry. "They're both fine, but I would like to know what on earth possessed you when you decided to go after the stone" Sirius asked, a slight snap in his voice.

Harry flinched at the barely concealed anger in Sirius' voice. Despite his fear he looked Sirius straight in the eye and spoke calmly, though a slight whine did creep into his voice. "Nobody would believe me. I told you, and then I told Professor McGonagall about Snape, but everyone thought I was making it up"

"Well, Snape wasn't trying to steal the stone, was he?" Remus added, a slight smile on his face.

"But somebody was! If we hadn't gone down, Voldemort would have the stone"

That was certainly true. He would have found a way to break Dumbledore's enchantments, and they would have all been screwed. Though, that didn't excuse Harry from doing something that stupid. How they'd even thought that they would be able to get through all the defences was beyond him. Sirius was well aware that most first years would have been going to their deaths. Granted, he knew they weren't 'most' first years, but that didn't excuse them from doing something so stupid. He still wasn't sure if he should feel furious at Harry for doing it or pride and relief that he'd come out of it in one piece.

Harry seemed to notice the debate behind his grey eyes, because he turned to him and asked a question that Sirius didn't have an answer to give. "Are you angry at me?"

Sirius ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair. "Yes…and no. I'm furious with you for doing something so stupid. But I'm just so relieved that you're OK that I haven't got it in me to shout at any one other than Dumbledore"

Harry paled "You shouted at the headmaster?"

"Of course I did, what kind of moron keeps something that dangerous in a school?" Sirius scoffed, bouncing Kura up and down on his knee.

"I'm surprised it didn't wake you up" Remus added, smiling slightly.

"I was not that loud!" Sirius defended, well aware that it was pointless. Both Harry and Remus were laughing at him, and even Kura was giggling, even though he was sure she didn't know at what.

OoOoOo

Harry had been let out of the hospital wing that night, and after promising to meet Harry at King's Cross tomorrow, the three of them left, having all tried to console Hagrid. He may have done something stupid, but he was still their friend, and he'd looked after Harry when nobody else could. Sirius could never forget that, so he put aside his own anger and tried to help him. Sirius didn't think it had worked.

Sirius still wasn't quite sure what to do with Harry. The boy was awfully reckless, and Sirius knew from bitter experience what kind of trouble that could get a person into. Harry needed to learn, that it was not a good trait to act on. Sirius felt like a bit of a hypocrite for making that decision, but he knew it was for the best. Harry was far more important than Sirius would ever be. Sirius smiled sadly. He hated telling Harry off. But he had to learn.

_**AN: I know this is early, but I got a lovely review earlier and it made me want to write. The site won't let me reply to reviews today, but I just want to say thank you. I read them all, and all of them bring a smile to my face. Thanks guys! And they're really great at the minute as they're helping me get my passion for writing back. As soon as I've finished my uni work, I plan on writing ahead, so if there's any characters or anything you'd like to see brought in sooner than in canon, let me know and I'll see what I can do **_

_**Please let me know what you think?**_


	18. Chapter 18: The feast

_It wasn't even Voldemort. It was Quirrell. He turned around just as Harry gasped in surprise. An evil looking smile was on his face as he looked at Harry. _

_"I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."_

_"But I thought — Snape —"_

_"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, a cold and sharp laugh that sent chills up Harry's spine. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"_

_Harry stared at him in shock. It couldn't be Quirrell, something was wrong here. "But Snape tried to kill me!"_

_"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you. He was the only one who did anything, your godfather was too busy watching you in horror"_

_Harry ignored the slight on is godfather. His brain seemed to have ground to a halt as soon as Quirrell had mentioned Snape. His mind was stuck on that one statement. "Snape was trying to save me?"_

_"Of course. Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really… he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching.__All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight"_

_Harry stared at him in shock. Sirius had been right after all. Snape hadn't tried to kill him. Quirrell clicked his fingers and ropes appeared out of thin air, tying him so tightly that he couldn't move._

"_You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."_

_"You let the troll in?"_

_"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there?__Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."_

_He was looking at the mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the Stone. Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"_

_"I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?"_

"_Your master?" Harry gasped, already knowing whom he meant. _

"_The greatest wizard of our time. He showed me the truth. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it… Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me. He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me… decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…"_

_Harry gasped. He'd met Quirrell when Remus and Sirius had taken him to Diagon Alley. The truth had been in front of him the whole time._

_Quirrell cursed. "I can't get the stone. Master, what should I do?"_

_"Use the boy… Use the boy…"_

_Harry looked around the room, hoping to find where the voice had come from. Quirrell interrupted him and ordered him to look into the mirror. His reflection was alone as it looked around and then revealed a red stone. The reflection winked at him and placed it in his pocket. Harry tried not to react as he felt the stone drop into his own pocket._

"_What do you see?" Quirrell demanded._

_Harry tried to stop his voice trembling. He'd never been a very good liar, and he could rarely answer back straight away. It was like his brain normally turned to mush. That was Remus' forte. He could not let that happen this time. "I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore, I've won the house cup"_

_Quirrell snarled just as Harry heard the high-pitched voice again. _

_"He lies… He lies…"__ Harry winced and stared around again, vainly trying to find the source of the voice that seemed horribly familiar. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that he'd heard it before. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. __"Let me speak to him… face-to-face…"_

_"Master, you are not strong enough!"_

_"I have strength enough… for this…" Harry stared, horrified and confused as Quirrell began to unwrap his turban. He turned around. There was a face on the back of Quirrell's head. The face was pale white, with blood red eyes and like a snake, no nose, just slits for nostrils. Harry knew, just by looking at it that this was Voldemort. The man that had haunted his dreams for so long was stood in front of him. A jolt of pain shot through his scar, nearly bringing him to his knees._

_The face grimaced. "See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapour… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"_

_Harry gaped at him. It was like he'd fallen into one of his nightmares, but infinitely worse because he knew that Remus and Sirius wouldn't be there to comfort him when he woke. He was awake, and this horror was playing out before him. Harry bolted for the door, hoping to reach it before they could react. He didn't make it. Quirrell launched himself at Harry, bringing them both crashing to the ground. Harry's scar felt like it might explode, but it was Quirrell who let out a cry of pain and let go of Harry, looking at his hands. The skin was burning and bubbling in front of their eyes. _

"_Kill him!" Voldemort commanded. Quirrell reached forward again, but Harry reacted without thinking and reached up to grab Quirrell's face. Quirrell screamed as his face burnt and Harry screamed along with him, the pain in his scar almost too much to bear. Harry didn't let go until unconsciousness took him. _

OoOoOo

Harry frowned as he waved goodbye to his family. He was sure he was going to be told off as soon as he got home. The thought filled him with dread. Both Remus and Sirius were very creative when it came to thinking up punishments. The only saving grace was that they were going away this summer and surely the punishment would be over by then. At least, he hoped so.

Harry winced as a particular punishment came to mind. They weren't cruel or painful, they were just normally mind numbingly boring. Remus had made him reorganize all of the books in the attic once. It had taken nearly a week of the summer holidays to do it, and they'd even cancelled a trip to Neville's that they'd been planning. He could honestly say, it was the most boring week of his life. He was pretty sure that it was still organized, but he wouldn't put it past them to mess it up, just to give him the 'fun' of tidying it again.

Still, no matter what they made him do, it was still better than where he'd be if they hadn't taken him in. The Dursleys. Harry shuddered at the thought. No, he might disagree with the inevitable punishment, which he did, but he was so grateful for what they had saved him from, that he was sure he could grin and bear it. He wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing, you know.

Harry shuddered at the thought and walked back inside. He met Ron, Hermione and Neville on the way to the Great Hall and the four of them walked in together, Neville lagging slightly behind as the three of them hurried to avoid the curious stares aimed their way. Not long after they sat down, Professor Dumbledore strode cheerfully into the green and silver Great Hall, his eyes twinkling merrily as he looked at the students.

Harry looked around the Great Hall and fought the urge to vomit when he caught a glimpse of Malfoy's smug face. Slytherin had won the House Cup and Malfoy seemed to think that it was him, and him alone that was responsible for their win. Harry shot him a venomous look and turned to look at the headmaster, who was stood waiting for attention.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

The Slytherins all began to cheer and shout. Harry averted his eyes from the green table angrily. It really was sickening.

"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

Silence fell over the entire room at the headmaster's words. Even the Slytherins stilled.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Ron went bright red as people ruffled his hair and clapped him on the back. The entire Gryffindor table began to cheer.

"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione hid her face in her arms as the Gryffindor table began to cheer again.

"Third — to Mr. Harry Potter… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

Harry stared at the headmaster, stunned. Someone hissed that they were tied with Slytherin, and the cheers that erupted at that statement were almost deafening. Harry cheered with them, but he couldn't help but wish that Dumbledore had given him one more point.

"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

The noise that greeted the end of that statement was so loud; Harry thought his eardrums might actually pop. Both the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw tables were cheering as well, so pleased were they to see the downfall of Slytherin. Harry clapped Neville on the back, who had gone white as a sheet as they all stood up, shouting themselves hoarse with joy.

"Which means, we need a little change of decoration."

Dumbledore clapped his hands together and watched as the green became red and silver became gold. The Gryffindor lion took pride of place on the walls, and Harry was beside himself with glee. Seeing the horrified look on Malfoy's face made it even better. Harry grinned. Everything was good.

_**AN: Success! First year done :D Don't worry though, I have a few chapters of the summer and of year two written up, pretty much ready for uploading.**_

_**Two things:**_

_**I put a one shot up yesterday called Fight or Flight: The Broken Stag. I think you'll like it, especially if you're keen on knowing about Harry's childhood **_ __

_**Please let me know if you think I covered first year well or not. I absolutely love hearing feedback, and I try my best to reply to every single one, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. **_


	19. Chapter 19: Italia

As it was at the end of July, Harry's birthday was always great fun. They could have picnics or barbeques, and they always managed to go out for the day. Not this year though. Sirius had decided that they all needed a holiday, and so the five of them were currently in Rome. Remus was a bit suspicious of his motives; he knew that there was an England vs. Italy match this weekend, and as luck would have it, it was being played in the International Quidditch Ground in Italy. Sirius hadn't said that they were there for the Quidditch, but whenever the match was mentioned, Sirius would become extremely tight lipped.

"Can we go for ice cream?" Harry asked, having just returned from the Coliseum with Remus.

"I should think so, though I think its called Gelato in Italy. We best tell Sirius and everyone, because if Kura doesn't get some, she'll likely scream"

Harry laughed and informed the three Blacks, the youngest of whom immediately began to chant "Ice Cream". They sent Remus up to order the ice cream, which Remus thought was cruel. They knew he couldn't speak much Italian, despite what his name might suggest, and he normally struggled with the pronunciations. He glared at them all as he walked forward. They merely waved.

"Buongiorno signore. Posso esserle d'aitou?" The man behind the counter asked. He looked like your typical Italian young man, dark hair and eyes with olive skin. He smiled at Remus, waiting for him to answer.

"Er, uno lampone, cioccolato all'arancia, mandoria, caffè e stracciatella per favore" Remus asked, praying that he'd said it right. His grandfather had been Italian, but Remus had always had issues with the language. His grandfather had always been very kind and patient, but Remus had never really been able to pick up more than a basic understanding of Italian.

The man nodded and began to scoop the gelato into bowls. Remus smiled, he'd come to Italy often as a little boy, but he always felt a surge of happiness here. The man handed him a tray with the small bowls, and asked him to pay. Remus did so, with the lira that they'd swapped galleons for at the Italian branch of Gringotts. After quickly saying "grazie" Remus began the task of balancing the tray while walking back to the table.

"Took you long enough Remus" Sirius said mockingly as Remus handed him the bowl of coffee flavoured gelato.

"Well, you go up next time and speak Italian. Oh, that's right, you can't. It was Harry's fault, I couldn't remember the word for chocolate and orange" Remus answered. Harry ducked his head and began to eat the gelato Remus had struggled to ask for. Remus reached over and ruffled his hair, before digging into his own bowl of gelato.

"I have an important present to give Harry. I know we did presents earlier, but it was such a great opportunity that I couldn't not" Sirius announced, handing Harry a small envelope. Remus rolled his eyes. It would have been obvious what it contained, even without Harry's whoop of joy. Remus glanced over at Harry and couldn't help but smile at the boy's delight. They were going to the England vs. Italy match, and Harry was overjoyed at that prospect.

OoOoOo

"Remus, come on!" Sirius called, wincing slightly as he bent down to lift Kura on to his shoulders. Remus frowned. His knee was causing him grief again. He'd hurt it during the war, but his stay in Azkaban had only made it worse. Sometimes he could barely walk on it.

"If you didn't keep making me translate, I'd already be there. You know full well Italian was never my strong point" Remus said, catching up to them and pulling Harry's cap further on his head as he walked past.

"We're nearly in the museum Remus! I'm not going to get sun burnt in there am I?" Harry retorted quickly, a scowl forming on his already slightly red face.

"Not there yet though, are we? Take it off when we get inside" Remus answered, fighting the smile forming on his face. "Or, get sunburned. I just won't help" Remus knew that was a lie, but he said it anyway.

"Don't lie Moony, of course you'll help him, otherwise he'll be stuck with Sirius" Alex said. They all turned to look at Sirius. Kura was playing with his hair, trying to bunch it all together on the top of his head. He looked absurd. Harry was laughing so much that he completely forgot about the hat.

As soon as they walked into the museum, Harry made a point of whipping the hat off and sending Remus a pointed look. Remus just smirked and wandered after him, occasionally pausing to translate a sign for Harry's benefit.

"Who is that meant to be?" Harry asked after a while, pointing at a small, intricately carved altar in the middle of the room. Remus walked over and frowned.

"That's the altar of Romulus and Remus. They're apparently the founders of Rome"

Harry nodded and grinned. "Remus, huh? Any connections?"

Remus shivered slightly despite the heat. His eyes kept being drawn to the image of the wolf. Its almost as if they knew. The thought made him feel cold. He knew he should probably tell Harry the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bear to see the look of disgust cross his face. It would destroy him. "I should hope not. Remus was murdered, likely by Romulus. I'd rather that didn't happen, if at all possible"

Harry's eyes widened. "I'd rather you weren't murdered too"

Remus looked at him and pulled him into a sideways hug. "I wasn't planning on it. I'm not going anywhere kiddo"

OoOoOo

Remus and Sirius had bought Harry a miniature Italian and English team to play on his Quidditch pitch (a Christmas present from Remus) and Harry kept bleating his thanks. They were all wearing England colours, but Remus had a small rosette on his chest in the colours of the Italian flag. Well, it was a friendly game after all.

Remus had never been much of a quidditch player, but even he had to admit that Sirius had managed to get good seats. Mr Potter had brought them all here once, for the World Cup Final of 1974, and James had nearly wept with excitement. Remus smiled at the memory, but then stilled as silence fell in the stadium. He quickly handed Harry and Alex their headphones – the commentary would be in Italian, but the headphones meant they'd hear it in English – and then waited, the excitement in the air almost palpable.

"Welcome to the Pietro De Luca Internazionale Quidditch Grounds, for the friendly between Italy and England" The cheers became deafening at this point, and Remus almost had to put his hands over his ears. The man doing the commentary sounded awfully like Antony Rossi, an ex-Italian player who'd married an English woman. There was a definite Italian lilt to his deep voice.

"Please greet the English National Quidditch team – Bennett, Spencer, Cole, Holmes, Knight, Ward and Hunter. And their mascots, the three lions" Remus clapped and cheered as seven figures, clad in red zoomed out onto the pitch. He'd always thought the English mascots were silly, he knew lions were meant to represent courage, or nobility, but it always confused him why England claimed them. There was nothing remotely English about a lion.

OoOoOo

"Do we have to go?" Harry croaked pleadingly. He'd shouted so much at the match that he'd lost his voice. He'd had to mime everything yesterday, but he'd regained some control over his voice today.

"We've been outvoted Harry, though I'm not sure if Kura quite understood her vote"

"But I don't want to go shopping. I hate shopping at the best of times, but isn't Rome meant to be one of the shopping capitals of the world?" Harry whined, dragging himself out of the pool in their rented villa.

"Si. Though I'm more concerned that Sirius actually put his hand up before Alex did, and it was her idea"

Harry smirked as Remus threw him a towel and he ran in for a quick shower. Remus wandered into the villa, grimacing at the memory of the last time he'd been shopping with Alex. They were buying matching robes for the wedding party, the groom, best man, page boy and bride's father. Alex had gone absolutely nuts and they spent an entire afternoon trying on robes before she decided she preferred the first set they'd tried on. Remus had done everything in his power to avoid having a repeat experience.

There was a slight noise to his left and Remus turned around just in time to see a curly haired three year old throw herself at him, squealing "Remus!". Smiling broadly, Remus scooped her up and swung her onto his hip.

"And how's my favourite goddaughter today?" Remus asked, lightly tickling her sides, smiling as she giggled hysterically and tried to bat his hands away.

"Stop it!" Remus did as he was told and immediately took on a exaggerated serious face, which made her giggle further. "Where's Harry?"

Remus smiled in spite of his own feelings. "Moaning about going shopping. He doesn't want to go. I just think its because he doesn't want any pretty Italian girls to see him wearing his hat"

Kura giggled. Much to Harry's annoyance, her and Sirius had stolen his hat yesterday and given it some…interesting additions. Remus and Sirius were far too busy roaring with laughter athe sight of a very grumpy Harry wearing a bright pink hat with bunny ears to remove the spell, so he was stuck with it.

"I am not wearing that hat! I'd rather get sun burnt" Harry said, walking over to the two of them.

"I don't think you would Harry" Remus replied quickly.

"Why am I the only one who has to wear a hat? Why don't any of you get sun burnt?"

Remus smiled. "I'm part Italian and Sirius couldn't get sunburnt if he flew to the sun. it used to drive Lily insane, she could get burnt by just looking at the sun"

"Harry, I've got your hat. You need to put it on" Sirius called, walking over to the three of them, the bright pink hat in his hands.

"I am NOT wearing that stupid hat! You wear it" Harry snarled, putting his hands up to fend Sirius off.

"I would, but I don't need it. You do, so you best put it on" Sirius replied, managing to fight off Harry's hands and pull it on his head. Harry scowled and yanked the hat off. The moment it had touched his head, the ears had shrunk and the painfully bright colour slowly changed back to black. Harry scowled, pulled the hat back on and looked sheepishly at the three of them.

"You see, nothing wrong with it after all" Remus added, a smile obvious in his voice. Harry grumbled something to himself. He turned to Sirius.

"Do we have to go shopping? I still don't want to go"

Sirius grinned and placed an arm around his shoulders. "You just don't appreciate the subtle joy of finding the thing you've always wanted but never knew" He led Harry away. Remus smirked and followed, listening to Kura babble excitedly about shopping in his arms.

OoOoOo

It was always sad when you returned home after a holiday, particularly one as good as their trip to Italy had been, but return home they must. It was therefore a rather miserable Remus that returned home. Harry seemed equally miserable and it was only the promise of letting Ron, Hermione and Neville all visit that made him stop moping.

"You can floo call Ron and Neville, but as Hermione's parents are Muggles, I think they might freak out if your head appears in their fireplace" Alex told him, smiling slightly as Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"That was the funniest thing I think I've ever seen"

"Only because you didn't have to try and explain it to Mary's parents. I told you it was a bad idea, but neither of you listened to me" Remus replied, a smile on his face.

Harry watched them bemusedly. "What are you on about?"

Sirius smirked. "When we were still at school, one of our friends Mary McDonald … got hurt, and she was sent home to get better. James thought it would be a good idea to floo call her to see if she was all right, obviously forgetting that both her parents were Muggles. You can imagine their reaction when James' head turned up in the middle of a roaring fire. I never knew that people not taking part in the connection could hear the people on the other end, but I think all of Gryffindor Tower heard Mary's mother scream"

Harry roared with laughter and Remus and Sirius both joined in. it was always good to remember the good times, even if inevitably it led to him thinking of the bad. He'd made a promise at James and Lily's funeral to just remember the good times, and by and large he had done so. Still, remembrance only made their absence seem worse.

_**AN: Right, first things first, I'd like to apologise for the Italian near the beginning. As you can probably tell, I can't speak a word of Italian, so I had to make do with what translation sites told me. So, I'm sorry if its wrong, but it was the best I could do.**_

_**This chapter was mainly to explore the relationships between Harry and the two marauders and to show the difference that the two of them have caused to Harry's life.**_

_**So please, let me know what you think? **_


	20. Chapter 20: A strange summer

Harry walked into the kitchen and froze. He most definitely was not expecting the sight that met his eyes. Albus Dumbledore was sat in the kitchen, calmly sipping at a mug of tea as he talked to Alex and Sirius. Harry suddenly became very conscious of the fact that he was still wearing his pyjamas and his hair was stuck up at all angles. He briefly debated whether he should flee, but Professor Dumbledore turned around and smiled at him.

"Ah, good morning Harry" Dumbledore smiled.

"Good morning sir, Sirius, Alex" Harry replied, trying to conceal how odd he found Dumbledore's presence in the kitchen. He calmly walked over to the freezer, pulling out two pieces of bread. He tried to ignore his headmaster's presence as he made his toast, but he couldn't help but be curious as to why he was here. Technically, he told himself, it wasn't eavesdropping if they knew you were in the room. He strained his ears, trying to spread the jam on the toast as quietly as possible.

"…As a nation, both Muggle and wizarding alike, we are becoming more multicultural and I feel language skills will only become increasingly useful – "

"Not that I disagree with your assessment, but why have you chosen to ask me?" Alex asked.

"Because you are the most qualified, the most patient and the best suited person for the job that I could think of"

Job? He wanted Alex to be a professor? Oh god, Harry knew if she did, he'd never get away with anything. He'd probably spend the rest of his life in detention. He listened carefully to her response.

"I can't Albus, I have Kura to worry about, and I can't just up and leave"

Dumbledore smiled. "It would only be a few hours a week, you wouldn't have to leave anybody behind. You could just come in for your lessons, and then return home"

Silence fell in the kitchen. Harry became very aware of Jethro sat next to him, sniffing hopefully at Harry's toast. Harry ripped a crust off and surreptitiously fed it to the dog. Remus normally got angry when he saw Harry doing it, saying it would make the dog fat, so Harry was extremely glad that he wasn't here. Dumbledore continued to speak.

"I must return to the school, I have a defence teacher to find and I think I've deprived Harry of his breakfast long enough. Let me know your response by owl before the end of august. Thank you for your hospitality. Harry"

Harry turned around, a blush on his face just in time to see Dumbledore raise his hand in farewell and stride out of the back door. Harry walked over to the table, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. Sirius sniggered slightly as he sat down.

"I think your eavesdropping skills need some work kiddo. You were a bit obvious"

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was merely in the room when you were talking. Maybe you need to work on finding a better place to hold your secret meetings" Harry answered back, trying to conceal his grin behind his toast.

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Alex. "What would you think Harry? If I became the language professor?"

"I didn't even know there was a language professor?" Harry said, trying to buy himself some more time.

"There isn't normally. There hasn't been one since Grindelwald was at full strength and the headmaster thought it would be wise for the students to know more than one language. I don't know why Dumbledore thinks it's necessary now, he must have something up his sleeve that he's not telling anybody about"

Harry nodded and then blanched. She wanted an answer now. Damn. To be honest, Harry wasn't sure what he thought about Alex becoming a professor, even if it was only part time. It would be nice to have somebody close to him at school, and if this year would be anything like his last, it would be helpful as well. But the fact still remained that he wouldn't get away with anything. Having gone to school with the marauders and now being married to one, Alex knew all the tricks. "If you want to be a professor, then go for it. It'll be nice to have one of you close by"

Alex smirked. "To keep you out of trouble you mean? Thank you for support Harry"

"Does that mean I have to address you as Professor Black now?"

"I guess it does. Now, where's Kura? She wanted to go to the zoo"

OoOoOo

True to Alex's words this morning, Kura had wanted to go to the zoo. Unlike Sirius and Remus, Alex was not immune to the puppy dog look that Kura could pull off so well, so the five of them had ended up going to the zoo. Not that Harry particularly minded. He quite enjoyed it when just the five of them went out. Something interesting was bound to happen.

By the time that they got round to lunch, Kura had dragged them all over the zoo. Harry was utterly exhausted. She seemed to think that because Harry was the youngest, he would have the most energy and he would go everywhere. He was sure he'd walked further than all the others had. Normally he wouldn't have minded, but he had a feeling that the three adults were discussing something important without him. It annoyed him no end, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. He just walked behind them, holding hands with Kura, and watching them angrily as they talked quietly to each other.

Remus led them into the reptile house. Harry took one look around them and decided he didn't like it. He was sure he was being a typical Gryffindor, but he didn't like it. There were too many snakes here for his liking. Kura however, seemed utterly enthralled by them. Alex led her over to look at them, and Remus and Sirius started to wander around the small building. Harry walked around after them, eventually stopping in front of a boa constrictor. It looked like it was sleeping, but as soon as Harry looked at it, it cracked open an eye.

It winked at Harry. He stared at it. He was sure that snakes weren't meant to do that. The snake nodded at him, almost like it was telling them it was OK and he should just go with it. Harry was still in a sense of shock as he looked at the snake.

"Where are you from?" Harry asked, still in a state of disbelief. The snake jabbed his head towards a sign that said it was from Brazil.

"Do you miss Brazil?" the snake jabbed his head towards the sign again telling him that the snake was bred in captivity.

"HARRY! What the hell are you doing?" Sirius shouted, panic evident in his voice. Harry cringed away from the glass, not sure if he was in trouble. Sirius pulled him towards him, away from the snake. "Are you ok? What was it doing?"

"Er, I'm not quite sure. It was kind of talking to me," Harry answered timidly.

"Talking?" Sirius asked, apparently alarmed.

"Is that bad? Am I not meant to be able to?"

Sirius paused before he answered. "No, no, Harry it's fine. It's just rare, not many people can do it – I guess it makes you special" Sirius said slowly, apparently trying to reassure Harry. it didn't work. Harry was confused by Sirius' reaction. He didn't understand why Sirius was so bothered by it. No harm had come from it.

OoOoOo

"A house elf? But you don't have a house elf, why would there be one in your room?" Ron asked, throwing himself back onto Harry's bed.

Ron had come over for the day and Harry was busy informing him about the strange house elf that had showed up in his room not long after he'd returned from Italy. It had been a very odd encounter, so odd that Ron was actually the first person that he had told.

"He did say why, though I'm not quite sure if it was true. He said I shouldn't go back to Hogwarts because I wouldn't be safe. He seemed to think something bad was happening at the school" Harry said. Ron shot upright so quickly that he nearly lost his balance as he stared at Harry.

"Something bad? D'you think he was telling you the truth?"

"I'm not sure. He seemed quite distressed when he was telling me, and he kept punishing himself whenever he thought he'd said something he wasn't meant to"

Ron frowned, deep in thought. "You don't think it was a trick, do you? I mean, only the really old, rich families have house elves. Why would he bother coming to warn you, of all people?"

That was one of the good things about growing up with Ron as his friend. He didn't see him as the Boy who Lived, he just saw him as Harry. It was quite refreshing when he was at school. "He said something about me being too important, whatever that means"

"He was probably off his rocker. Why would he warn you, of all the people he could. Why not go to Dumbledore?"

"He said something about Dumbledore not understanding something" Harry said, still confused by that.

"And he thought you would? I told you, he was probably off his rocker"

"Thanks for your support Ron" Harry replied sarcastically. It did seem absurd now, when Ron said it that way. Dumbledore was smarter than Harry could ever hope to be, and the idea that Harry would understand something that he wouldn't was quite laughable.

"I'm here to help. Have you told Remus or Sirius?"

"I haven't yet. I didn't know whether I should worry them about it if it turned out just to be a prank"

"Harry, I think they'd want to know. Besides, they might be able to help"

_**I don't really have anything to say about this chapter. If there are any questions about this chapter, please don't hesitate to ask. Let me know what you think, please?**_

_**Also, I've published another story called missing moments. I'll transfer my one shots into it, and its an opportunity to write about anything that's not key to the story. If there's anything you'd like to see, feel free to ask.**_


	21. Chapter 21: Books and Barriers

"Oh for Merlin's sake, kill me now" Sirius exclaimed, holding Harry's booklists in his hand.

"What's your problem?" Remus asked, quite used to Sirius' dramatics and not even looking up from his newspaper.

"Listen to this: Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart, Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart, Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart, Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart, Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart, Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart, Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart. Those are all the books that Harry needs this year"

Remus put down his newspaper and stared at Sirius with a scandalized expression. "He didn't…"

"Who didn't do what?" Harry asked, walking into the lounge, completely ready to go to Diagon Alley.

"Have you looked at your booklist Harry?" Sirius asked, watching Ron amble into the room after him. The plan was to meet the Weasleys at Diagon Alley and let Ron go home with them. He'd stayed over the night before and by the looks of it, both Harry and Ron had spent most of the night talking.

"Yeah, Ron reckons the new teacher is probably a witch. You know that most women go nuts about him," Harry answered with a shrug.

Sirius smiled and agreed with Harry's statement, even though, deep down, he had a feeling that the defence professor was someone much worse than a fan.

OoOoOo

Sirius thought he might vomit. Remus had managed to escape, saying something about getting ice cream for Kura, but Alex had demanded that Sirius stay to help her carry the books. Harry was stood next to him and he looked like he was thinking the same. Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his books in Flourish and Blott's and Alex and Molly had both decided they needed to go. Arthur was stood at the back of the shop, deep in conversation with the Grangers. Sirius wished more than anything that he could be stood with him. Instead, Fred, George and Percy had taken one look at what was happening, blanched, handed him the books they needed and left.

"Oh Sirius, stop moaning" Alex told him, furiously trying to wipe off the finger paint from her top.

"Moaning? I haven't said a word about being dumped with a load of second, fourth and sixth year textbooks. We haven't even picked up Lockhart's drivel yet"

Nearly all of the women in the line turned to glare at him. Then they recognized him and they looked away. Despite the fact that he'd been declared innocent eight years ago, most people were still quite wary of him. Once a madman, always a madman; seemed to be the view of most of the public. He'd found it annoying at first, but being the guardian of the Boy who Lived, it was actually quite useful now. Most people stayed away from them, which was useful when Harry was younger. Once people spoke to him, they soon worked out that he wasn't a madman and were generally much more friendly. Sirius found it quite funny really.

"Sirius! It's not drivel. Now shut up"

Sirius rolled his eyes as Lockhart walked out. He had shoulder length wavy hair, with a hat balanced jauntily on his hair. His robes matched his forget-me-not blue eyes and he grinned broadly at the crowd, showing dazzlingly white teeth. Sirius tried not to laugh as the entire crowd of women began to clap and gasp at his entrance. Sirius had to step on Ron's toe to stop him sniggering. Ron stopped sniggering anyway when a grumpy looking photographer trod on his foot to try and get the perfect picture.

Gilderoy Lockhart still heard Ron and he looked up, a frown on his face. The frown quickly turned into a dazzling grin when he spotted who was stood on Ron's other side. "It can't be Harry Potter?"

The crowd parted and before Sirius could do anything, Lockhart had snaked out an arm and was dragging Harry to the front. Sirius was sure you could have fried an egg on Harry's face as the crowd applauded and the photographer went mad with the camera.

"Nice big smile, Harry. Together, you and I are worth the front page."

Sirius rolled his eyes again and shot Harry an apologetic look. He couldn't think of a way to get Harry out of this mess without doing something stupid. Lockhart let go of Harry's hand and he tried to sneak back to Sirius' side. It didn't work. Lockhart threw his arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him to his side again.

Lockhart waved for quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen. What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography — which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge —"

Lockhart waited while the crowd applauded and then he carried on. "He had no idea, that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Sirius face palmed himself. He'd never even met the man, and yet he already knew that he was a prat. He'd probably spend the whole year going on about his 'adventures', instead of actually teaching them anything. He was going to be an awful teacher. Aside from Harry and Ron, who both looked horrified, he seemed to be the only person who thought that. The rest of the crowd were clapping and cheering as Lockhart handed Harry the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. Still blushing, Harry walked over to Ginny and tipped the books into her cauldron.

Sirius smiled slightly, Harry was such a good kid. He knew for a fact that the giving of those books would make the Weasleys trip to Diagon Alley substantially easier. The smile slid off his face when he recognized the blonde boy talking to Harry. Laden with heavy books, Sirius didn't get there quick enough to stop Arthur from launching himself at Lucius Malfoy. He couldn't exactly blame him for doing it, but as an auror he thought he should do something. He set the books down and waded over to pull Arthur off of Lucius.

Lucius climbed to his feet angrily, a book from Ginny's cauldron still in his hand. He practically threw it at her, a malicious sneer on his face. "Here, girl — take your book — it's the best your father can give you — Ah, Sirius… what a pleasant surprise"

Sirius looked at him in disgust. He'd known Lucius for as long as he could remember, and he'd never liked the greasy prat. Especially not after he'd become a death eater. Lucius Malfoy was everything Sirius hated most about pure blood fanatics. "As an auror, I should warn you that insulting people in front of me probably isn't the wisest ideea, or I'll be forced to do something, and you know how much I'd hate to do that"

"Indeed?" Lucius asked, a slim blonde eyebrow raised. "Well then, I best leave you to your…friends. Good day" Lucius grabbed his sons shoulder and led him out of the shop, sparing one last contemptuous look at their group.

Sirius glared after him. The problem with talking to Lucius was that everything was double edged, and there was always a hint of sarcasm in anything either of them said. It had always been that way. Sirius sighed and turned to a rather sheepish looking Arthur. "Not that I'm saying he didn't deserve it, but you probably should have ignored him. Everyone that matters already knows he's a prat. Come on, we'll get the books and go"

Molly was beside herself with anger. "A fine example to set for your children… brawling in public… what Gilderoy Lockhart must've thought —"

"He was pleased," said Ron. "Didn't you hear him as we were leaving? He was asking that bloke from the Daily Prophet if he'd be able to work the fight into his report — said it was all publicity —"

OoOoOo

They weren't as organized this year as they were last year. Sirius blamed it on Alex not being there. The teachers normally had a last minute staff meeting before the students arrived, so Alex had to leave. She'd be back after the feast, but it wasn't the same. Sirius knew they were running late when they ran into the Weasleys. Percy, Arthur, the twins, Molly and Ginny all walked through the barrier. Sirius pushed Harry and Ron forward and the two of them broke into a run.

CRASH!

Both trolleys smashed into the brick wall and bounced backwards, throwing Ron headfirst over his trolley and Harry to the ground. Remus raced forward to help them up and check they were OK, but Sirius raced to the barrier, one arm holding Kura. He placed a hand on the brick wall and pushed. Nothing. The barrier had sealed itself. It wasn't even eleven o'clock. He pressed an ear to the barrier, but he couldn't hear a thing.

"What are we going to do? We're going to miss the train" Ron moaned, his eyes fixed on the clock that was slowly ticking towards 11 o'clock.

"Why can't we get through the barrier?"

"I don't know boys, but we're not going to panic. I'll send a message to Dumbledore, and to your parents Ron, and then we'll apparate to Hogsmeade. We can spend the day there and then you can meet everyone at the station. How does that sound?" Sirius asked calmly, wand already in hand as he prepared to send a patronus to the headmaster. Both boys nodded, still stunned by the barrier sealing itself.

Remus took Ron's hand and trunk, leaving Harry to take his trunk over to Sirius. Sirius took a deep breath and spun into the darkness.

OoOoOo

Sirius stood and waved as Harry and Ron climbed into the carriage. Sirius had sent their trunks ahead to the school, and the five of them had spent the day in Hogsmeade. Sirius was sure he'd probably spent more money than was morally right in Zonko's, but he had made them promise not to provoke Snape or McGonagall. He didn't need another stroppy letter from Snape telling them that Harry was arrogant, cruel and just like his father. It had taken the combined strength of both Alex and Remus to stop him from marching up to Hogwarts and cursing Snape himself.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if we hadn't been there?" Remus asked as soon as the carriages had gone.

Sirius laughed. "They probably would have done something stupid – like fly Arthur's car to the school"

"That does sound like them. They probably would have been killed though – the car is a Muggle object, and they don't work as soon as you get into the grounds," Remus said, smiling. Then the smile slid off his face. "Why do you think the barrier closed? You don't think it was that house elf that Harry was on about?"

Sirius paused, he hadn't even considered that. "if it was, it was a very stupid and dangerous plan. If we'd been earlier, it could have stopped about half the school getting on the train. Nah, it was probably just a malfunction"

At least, Sirius hoped it was. The alternative was too disturbing to think about.

_**AN: UNI'S FINISHED FOR CHRISTMAS! Ahem, yes, I now have lots of free time to write, so hopefully I'll be able to get loads done. Which is why I've put this chapter up now. **_

_**Please review?**_


	22. Chapter 22: The worst first day

Harry had gone to bed in a good mood after their trip to Hogsmeade, but as soon as he got his timetable he knew that it wouldn't last. They had Herbology first, which was OK, but then they had defence and potions. Harry knew already that Lockhart's lessons would be awful, but both Sirius and Remus had told him there wasn't much they could do about it. Remus had even offered to tutor him in the holidays if he was that bothered. Harry had quickly declined. He might have liked defence, but he didn't like it that much.

"Oh god. Ron, hide me" Harry groaned, having just spotted Lockhart walking towards them with Professor Sprout. What the hell he'd been doing with Sprout Harry had no idea, and didn't really want to know.

"Greenhouse three today, chaps" announced Professor Sprout, looking rather keen to get away from the blonde professor. There was a murmur of interest from the class. They'd never been in greenhouse three before. Harry charged towards the door, trying desperately to get away from Lockhart. Harry grinned as Lockhart walked back to the castle, looking rather dejected. Harry didn't care. After they'd met in Diagon Alley, Harry had decided that he didn't like him.

"Gather round. We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state." Hermione recited, sounding for all the world like she'd eaten the textbook. She always did. Harry didn't know how she did it.

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione raised her hand again, narrowly missing Harry's glasses as she bounced on her heels. "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it,"

"Precisely. Take another ten points," Professor Sprout said amusedly. She obviously still found it funny that nobody else even bothered to answer a question when Hermione was there. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."

She pointed them all towards a row of deep trays. Harry had no idea what she meant by 'cry' of the Mandrake, they looked like perfectly normal, purple-green plants.

"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," instructed Professor Sprout. "When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered. When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs on."

Harry pulled the earmuffs on, still slightly confused. The confusion left him as soon as Professor grasped one of the plants and pulled it out of the mud. Harry stared at it, his eyes wide. The leaves were growing out of the head of a small, pale green baby. He was quite clearly screaming as loud as he could, not that anyone could hear him do so.

Professor Sprout grabbed a large plant pot and placed the mandrake in it, covering it with dark and damp compost. She left just the leaves exposed and then removed her earmuffs, signalling for all of them to do the same. The entire class stared at her in shock as she began to speak calmly about the mandrake.

"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."

Harry stared suspiciously at the dark red plant, feeling that he had a good reason to be suspicious of plants. He'd nearly been throttled by one last June and he wasn't keen on repeating it. Harry followed Ron and Hermione to a tray where a curly haired Hufflepuff joined them. Harry didn't think he'd ever spoken to him before, but he seemed friendly enough as he shook their hands.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he introduced himself, smiling broadly. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter… And you're Hermione Granger — always top in everything and Ron Weasley – the chap with all the brothers"

Ron grimaced as Hermione beamed. He hated being compared to his brothers. Remus had once said it was because he was insecure about his brother's successes. Justin didn't seem to notice, he merely carried on talking, this time about Lockhart.

"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" Justin asked cheerfully, obviously missing Harry's frown and Ron's continued grimace. Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and — zap — just fantastic"

"My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family…"

Professor Sprout told them to put their earmuffs back on again, effectively cutting off all conversation. They had to concentrate on this – it wasn't nearly as easy as Professor Sprout had made it out to be. Harry's mandrake seemed determined not to go in the pot, and it took him at least fifteen minutes to get the damn thing in the pot. By the time the lesson was over, Harry was feeling rather resentful towards Mandrakes.

OoOoOo

Lunch could have gone better. Hermione spent most of the time with her nose jammed in Voyages with Vampires and Harry spent most of the hour painfully aware that he was being watched by a very small, mousy haired boy, who looked like he was holding a Muggle camera. Harry smiled shyly at him and the boy walked forward tentatively.

"All right, Harry? I'm — I'm Colin Creevey, I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think — would it be all right if — can I have a picture?" he asked quietly, pulling the camera tighter to his chest.

"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly, not really catching the meaning of what he said. People didn't normally come up to them in the street, Remus always said it because Sirius was horrifying to behold. That had earned him a slap to the back of the head, but Remus had later told him that it was worth it. Until he was forced into taking a photo with Lockhart, he'd never done so in public before.

"So I can prove I've met you, I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (he stared at the scar on Harry's forehead) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move." Colin stopped to draw breath, but then continued speaking at a breakneck pace, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you, maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?"

Harry would have recognized that voice anywhere. He hadn't seen him since that day at the bookstore, but Harry hated the sight of his pointed face and white blonde hair.

"Everyone line up!" Malfoy shouted, delighted to be doing something that would annoy Harry. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not," Harry retorted furiously. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous," added Colin. Harry couldn't help but be impressed by his bravery, Crabbe was at least twice his size…if not bigger.

"Jealous?" Malfoy whispered, his eyes narrowing. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

Crabbe and Goyle were both sniggering at Malfoy's words. Ron stepped forward angrily, but before he could say anything Hermione hissed, "Look out"

Harry's heart sank. Gilderoy Lockhart was striding towards the crowd, smiling good-naturedly. "What's all this, what's all this? Who's giving out signed photos?"

Harry began to explain but Lockhart throwing an arm around his shoulders interrupted him. "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"

Harry blushed furiously as he watched Malfoy disappear back into the crowd, a smirk etched on his face. "Come on then, Mr. Creevey. A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you."

Colin took the picture and then raced off to his lesson when the bell rang. Harry would have given anything to escape, but Lockhart was still holding Harry firmly to his side.

"A word to the wise, Harry," Lockhart said, leading Harry to the defence lesson. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey — if he was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much… Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible — looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but I don't think you're quite there yet."

Harry stared at him as they reached the classroom. He was so furious that he couldn't even look at the stupid man in front of him. Harry took a seat in the back row, and tried to build a fort out of Lockhart's books – just so he didn't have to look at the real thing.

As soon as someone was foolish enough to sit in the front row, Lockhart swooped down and grabbed a copy of Travels with Trolls. He held it up, grinning broadly.

"Me," he said. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

Only the girls laughed. The boys merely exchanged dark looks.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in —"

He handed out the test papers, still smiling. "You have thirty minutes — start —now!"

Harry looked down at the test in front of him and groaned. The entire test was about Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry briefly wondered if he'd get away with throwing the book at Lockhart, but instead, he began to write an answer.

Lockhart collected in the tests and quickly looked through them. "Tut, tut — hardly any of you remembered that my favourite colour is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully — I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples — though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!"

He winked at them, continuing to look through the tests. Ron was staring at him incredulously, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were shaking with silent laughter. Harry was staring at Hermione in alarm. She was literally drinking in Lockhart's every word.

"… but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact… full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

For the first time since Harry had met her, Hermione raised her hand very slowly, almost as if she didn't want Lockhart to know it was her.

"Excellent! Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so — to business —"

He lifted a covered cage onto his desk, and turned to the class. "Now — be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Harry leaned around the books to stare at the cage. The entire class had gone still. "I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart warningly. "It might provoke them." He ripped the cover off the cage. "Yes, Freshly caught Cornish pixies."

Harry stared at the cage incredulously. The pixies were only eight inches high. Harry knew that they could be tricky and annoying, but they were hardly somebody's worst fear.

"Right, then. Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.

It was chaos. The electric blue creatures shot in every direction, shattering windows and tearing books. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. The pixies took great delight in grabbing books, bags, pictures and ink and showering the entire class with them. Most people had taken refuge under the desks.

"Come on now — round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart cried. He waved his wand and shouted, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

It didn't do anything, and he dived under his desk having lost the fight for his wand. The bell rang and the entire class raced for the exit. Lockhart caught sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were at the back of the students. "Well, I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He raced into his office and closed the door behind him, leaving the three of them with the pixies.

"Can you believe him?" shouted Ron, deftly dodging a pixie that was aiming for his head.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," Hermione said desperately, managing to freeze a pixie and stuff it in the cage.

"Hands on?" said Harry, who was trying to swing a book at the pixie trying to pull the glasses off his nose. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing —"

"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books — look at all those amazing things he's done —"

"He _says_ he's done," Ron muttered.

_**AN: As promised, two chapters in a week! This chapter probably isn't my best, but I am working on making the rest of the chapters better. Please review. I'd really like to know what you think **_


	23. Chapter 23: The Worst Semptember

Despite the fact that Harry had been gone last year, Remus still found it odd, and kind of depressing that he wasn't here. He supposed that was why Sirius had tried to pack the summer holidays with so much. Remus was grateful, it meant that he had lots of happy memories to dwell on. He smiled broadly at the memory of Harry shouting so much at the international quidditch game that he lost his voice. He had to spend the next day trying to mime everything. Remus had spent the entire day laughing at him.

"Remus!" Sirius called, interrupting what Remus had been doing. "Come talk to Harry"

Remus leapt to his feet and followed the sound of Sirius' voice. He expected to find Harry's face smiling out at them, he didn't expect the glare on his face, the furious look on Ron's and the quiet sniffs that he assumed were coming from Hermione. He didn't have a clue what had happened, but it didn't look good. Remus slowly sat down next to Sirius and waited for Harry to speak, after Sirius asked them if they were OK.

Harry looked appalled. "OK? No we're not OK"

"Why? What's happened?" Remus asked timidly, slightly worried about what the answer would be.

"Well, Wood dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn for Quidditch practice, but when we got there, we couldn't practice because the Slytherins were there. Snape had given them permission; apparently they needed to train their new seeker. He's not even going to be a good player, he just bought his way onto the team" Harry finished, a slight whinge entering his voice.

"That's it Harry? It's just a game" Remus tried to console him. It didn't work.

"Wait. Bought his way onto the team…you don't mean Malfoy?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded miserably and Sirius actually swore.

"That's not it Remus, I'm not a complete baby. Ron and Hermione came over. Malfoy bragged about the fact that his dad could afford to buy seven Nimbus 2001's and that the Weasleys couldn't afford anything better than a Cleansweep Five. Hermione answered him back, telling him that no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, and they got in on pure talent."

"Nice insult Hermione" Sirius congratulated, a smile on his face.

Remus however, didn't smile. Judging by the look on Harry's face, it would get worse.

"And then Malfoy called Hermione a Mudblood"

"HE DID WHAT?" Sirius shrieked, rising to his feet in rage. Remus however, stayed where he was, his eyes staring, unseeing, at the wall. He hadn't heard that insult in years, not since the war. He was vaguely aware that he was shaking in anger and Harry was watching him worriedly. Sirius was still shouting insults at the top of his voice. Remus had always hated that insult. Trying to tell people they had dirty blood. It was stupid beyond belief, what did blood really give a person? Blood had been the reason why Sirius had been locked up for so long without a trial.

He finally managed to calm Sirius down, and then he spoke in a soft voice. "What happened next?"

Harry and Ron both grinned in spite of the situation. "Fred and George tried to attack him, but Ron managed to hex him"

"You hexed him Ron? Good shot – I mean, that was a bad idea. You should never hex students," Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes. There was no point in him even trying to scold them; he'd already ruined his dignity by swearing at the top of his voice.

"What happened then? What did the Slytherins do?" Remus asked worriedly. The Slytherins in his day would have cursed them back and walked away laughing, as they bled to death.

"Not a lot. Some of them ran away, but Flint dragged Malfoy up to the Hospital Wing"

Before Sirius or Remus could say anything, Hermione grabbed the mirror from Harry and asked them a question. "Why did everybody get so angry? I know it's rude, but I don't know what it means?"

Remus and Sirius glanced at each other. There was no way they could lie about it, it just wasn't the nicest topic to discuss. "Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who's Muggle-born – you know non-magic parents. It means dirty blood. There are some wizards – like the Malfoy's – who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call purebloods"

Hermione gasped as Sirius announced. "It's complete bollocks. Blood makes no difference as to who you are and what you become. That's what the first war was about. Voldemort (Ron and Hermione flinched) was one of those nutters that wanted the wizarding world to become pure. It was complete rubbish, half of the best wizards and witches were Muggle born"

"Hermione, don't listen to him. You're the brightest witch in your year" Remus said, smiling as Hermione blushed a bright red.

"We need to tell him Sirius" Alex announced as they crept towards October, laying a hand on her slightly enlarged stomach.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. Can't you wait until Christmas?" Remus asked quietly, already knowing what Harry's reaction would be. He wouldn't be happy, just as he hadn't been when she'd been pregnant with Kura.

"We need to tell him now, before it starts to show. He'll be more angry if he finds out from seeing me at Hogwarts"

"He'll be angry anyway," Remus whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear. He could understand Harry's anger completely. Harry had felt like he was being replaced and pushed out of the family when Alex was pregnant. His view was that Sirius was moving on and he was scared of being left behind. He'd told Remus this, but he'd never mentioned it to Sirius and he had no intention of telling Sirius of Harry's fears. He was sure that Harry would feel the same about this baby, and the problem was that Remus wouldn't be with him to reassure him. Remus had probably been the only thing that had stopped Harry from becoming a blubbering mess. Harry had spent the entire time that Alex was pregnant worried that the baby would be a boy, and that he would be replaced.

Of course, as soon as the baby girl had been born, Harry had been much calmer, knowing now that he wasn't being replaced. Remus didn't know if he'd be so lucky this time. Remus handed Sirius the mirror slightly reluctantly and watched as he and Alex greeted Harry.

Remus didn't want to hear them tell Harry the news, but he wanted to be there to reassure Harry, so he stepped behind the two of them and waited for them to announce their news.

"Harry, we have something to tell you. We're going to have a baby," Sirius announced happily.

There was a long pause before Harry answered them in a rather muffled voice. "Congratulations"

Remus' heart sank. It sounded like Harry was taking it just like Remus thought he might. He tried to mouth 'I'll talk to you later" over Sirius' head, but he didn't think it worked. Harry wasn't even looking at the mirror. If Remus knew him at all, he was surely looking for a way out of the conversation. Sirius seemed to realise it too.

"Are you OK Harry? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah…No, um, I have to go to dinner. I'll talk to you soon" Harry said quickly, before putting the mirror away. Remus looked at the clock, it was barely five o'clock. He was obviously trying to avoid trying to talk to them. Sirius pulled Remus into the lounge.

"He didn't take that very well, did he?"

"I didn't think he would Sirius. He didn't last time either"

"Why?"

Remus rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to tell Sirius why. If he couldn't figure it out himself, Remus wasn't going to help him. He knew that Harry was being quite silly, but he couldn't blame him. When Sirius was released from Azkaban, the thought of Sirius moving on was his biggest fear. Remus was painfully aware that Sirius had every right to have a family and life, but it didn't make it any easier. He loved Kura, but he knew that he loved Harry more. He was the only person who had nothing else but Harry. He smiled bitterly. He'd have to go and talk to Harry. Preferably before he did something stupid.

_**AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! So I asked my lovely readers about another baby a while ago, and the general consensus was yes, so here it is. The-Girl-Who-Dreamed partly gave me the inspiration for my next story arc – which starts here. So thanks. **_

_**Please review**_


	24. Chapter 24: The Whomping Willow

Harry was in a foul mood. So foul that Ron and Hermione had both given up on trying to find out why he was upset. Harry didn't want to tell them anyway. He was worried it might make him sound childish. He didn't actually care about being childish, he just didn't want his friends to know that about him. It wasn't an easy thing to explain anyway – especially not to someone who had five older brothers.

Harry had thought that life was good at home, just the five of them. He didn't want there to be a sixth member of the family. He'd thought that life was good when there was just the three of them, but apparently Sirius hadn't agreed with him. Harry felt like he wasn't good enough for them and they wanted a new child. He was convinced that they wanted to replace him, that they didn't like him anymore. The thought made him feel sick to the stomach. He didn't even know what he'd done to make them think that. Remus had tried to talk to him, but Harry had decided that he didn't want to speak to anybody.

Ron had brought him up some toast, and left in the window for him. Harry had gone down to breakfast, but after Ron had got a howler from his mother, scolding him for attacking Malfoy, Harry had walked out of the castle in a huff. The thought of the howler actually made him feel worse. He was being ungrateful…to just about everybody that mattered to him, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. The worst thing was that he couldn't do anything about it. Harry suddenly shot to his feet, he was meant to be in History of Magic, but he couldn't bring himself to go. He was currently sat by the lake angrily, kicking at the pebbles in a temper.

It was stupid really, Harry knew that, but he felt angry anyway. He didn't even really know whom he felt angry towards. He knew it wasn't the baby's fault that it was going to replace him. No, it was Sirius and Alex's fault – just like it had been last time. Sirius had tried to act like nothing was changing last time, trying to make Harry feel more comfortable. Harry scoffed. Everything had changed. He'd been terrified that the adults wouldn't have time for him anymore, terrified that he'd become of lesser importance to them. That was what it all boiled down to in the end. He loved them all so much, and he didn't want that to change.

"And it will" Harry muttered angrily. He climbed to his feet, sitting here and thinking was only making him feel worse. He was vaguely aware that the bell had rung and that students were spilling out of the castle, but he didn't care. As long as they left him alone, he didn't care. Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to wander aimlessly, scuffing his shoes on the ground.

Something hit him on the back of the head, knocking his glasses off his face. Harry, who was already in a foul mood, growled and whipped around. "Very clever Malfoy"

There was no scathing reply, but before Harry had time to dwell on that, something large crashed into his stomach, knocking him to the ground. He heard an awful crunching noise and he knew that he'd fallen on top of his glasses. He didn't know what it was that was attacking him, but it sure as hell didn't sound good. It was creaking and swishing ominously. Something smashed into the side of his head and the world went black.

The first thing Harry saw when he opened his eyes was Remus' face. Harry was slightly confused as to why he was there. His head hurt too much to even consider why he was there.

"Thank Merlin Harry" Remus exclaimed.

Harry squinted at him. "What happened? Something hit me?"

Remus shifted awkwardly. "You ran afoul of the Whomping Willow. Ron saved you from it. He's OK before you ask, he broke his wand and shoulder, but he's all right. More to the point though, why weren't you in lessons?"

Harry looked straight at Remus. "I didn't want to go to lessons. I was…"

"Dwelling. Harry there's no point in thinking on it. How much we love you won't change because of the baby" Remus said reassuringly.

"I know it won't change you, but what about Alex and Sirius? If they have a boy, they won't want me anymore. They won't want the son of their best friend if they have their own son"

"Harry, how can you think that? They love you, no matter what. That's not going to change just because they have a baby"

"Where are they then? Why aren't they gathered around my sick bed?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Remus moved to sit on the bed, lightly stroking his fringe out of his eyes. "I didn't think you'd want them here yet, so I haven't told them. Sirius is still at work, but I can get him, if you want to see him?"

Harry paused and then said, "No. Not yet. This is his fault, and I don't think I could face him yet"

Remus smiled sadly and pulled Harry into a hug. This was where he felt safest, and happiest. He knew that Remus would never go anywhere, not that he really understood why. He'd never really had a long-term girlfriend that Harry could remember, which always confused him. Remus was kind, clever and funny, he seemed like what Harry assumed was the perfect man. Either way, Remus was always there – just for Harry. Sirius always used to be, but, understandably, since Kura had been born, he'd had to split his attention between the two of them.

"You do know that Sirius loves you, right? He once told me that he loved you and needed you more than air. He'd die if he knew that this was hurting you this much" Remus told him quietly, still resting a hand on the top of Harry's head. Harry smiled sadly. He knew that Sirius loved him, but that didn't stop the worry from worming its way into his mind. It didn't stop the awful thoughts and doubts from seeding in him.

Harry pulled away quickly; something Remus said suddenly hitting him. "You said Ron found me? Is he OK? What happened to him?"

"I believe his mum and dad are talking to him, he's not far away. He was perfectly well when I saw him. His parents were very proud of him for saving you, even though he did put himself in danger to do so" Remus answered, a small smile on his face. "He'll probably be over in a minute"

Ron had been over the moon at his parents praise, and even though they couldn't afford to buy him a new wand, he still spent the next few days with a large grin on his face. Harry had been in a good mood as well for a while after Remus' reassurances, but the glum mood settled back on him a few days later. Without Remus there to reassure him, the doubts and fears began to force their way back to the forefront of his mind.

He knew that he'd feel better if he spoke to Sirius through the mirror, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew it would make him angry, and he was angry enough already. He'd spotted Alex around the school a few times, and had always made a quick get away. He didn't want to talk to her, he was sure he'd start shouting, or maybe crying and he didn't want to do that. No, he was much happier to stomp round the castle in a foul mood, even if it did mean he was neglecting his friends.

_**AN: So I hope everyone had a great Christmas/ Hanukkah/ whatever you celebrate, and I hope you all got what you wanted. Also, have a great new year.**_

_**The last update of 2011. Wow. I'd just like to thank everybody who's reviewed, put this story on alert and favourited it. It means so much to me, so thanks. Please leave a review? Let me know if there's anything you like/ don't like **_


	25. Chapter 25: The Legend

Remus didn't know what to do. Nearly a month had passed, and Harry and Sirius had barely spoken to each other. They'd been perfectly civil to each other, but it wasn't the same. Remus missed the sound of their absurd conversations about Quidditch. He knew that both Harry and Sirius were hurting, and yet, Remus didn't know what to do to help them. It wasn't something that was easily solved if the two of them wouldn't talk to each other properly. Even if they did talk, Remus wasn't sure what would happen. The problem was, that it wasn't anybody's fault, and still both of their faults. Remus didn't have the faintest idea as to how he could fix it. And yet, he knew he had to.

He knew it was destroying Sirius. The poor man didn't even know why Harry was so upset, though knowing Sirius; he probably had a good idea anyway. Harry had been the only thing that Sirius had to cling onto when he was in Azkaban, and the thought of losing him was clearly torturing him. Yes, Sirius now had a family, but Harry is and would always be a part of it. Harry and Remus had been the people to help Sirius regain his feet after Azkaban and now they were falling apart.

Remus hated it, hated how one little thing that should have been good, had brought them all so much pain. It wasn't fair. The three of them had been through so much already that they didn't need any more pain. Remus suspected that Sirius would never truly get over what happened. The pain of losing James and Lily would haunt them both forever. He suspected that one of the reasons why Sirius was so hands on with everything was to distract himself from losing James. If that was part of the reason behind it, it wasn't like Sirius could really apologise for having a baby, in the hope that it would make it hurt less.

"Sirius Black" called a panicked voice from the coffee table. Because Harry and Sirius weren't really talking, Sirius had started giving Remus the mirror in the hope that he at least could make Harry feel better. All he really wanted was to make Harry happy, and if that meant not talking to him, then so be it. Remus lurched forward and seized the mirror.

"Harry! Are you OK?" Remus asked, painfully aware that it was Halloween and that he wasn't OK. Now that he looked at him, Harry didn't look OK – he was pale, out of breath, and he looked rather worried.

"No, I'm not OK. Remus, what's the chamber of secrets?"

Remus fell back in his chair. Whatever he had been expecting, that wasn't it. "It's a legend Harry, but what makes you ask? Why the sudden interest in the myths of Hogwarts?"

Harry frowned slightly and took a deep breath. "We were at Nearly Headless Nick's death day party, and when we left we found Mrs Norris, hanging on the wall. Dumbledore said she'd been petrified. Anyway, there was writing on the wall behind her. It said 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE' so, what is it?"

Maybe it was the way that Harry refused to meet his eyes, or the way that he kept looking down at his shoes, but Remus was sure that Harry wasn't telling him the whole truth. He was keeping something hidden, but Remus couldn't figure out what. It was obviously something he was uncomfortable with bringing up, so Remus didn't press any further. He looked at Harry cautiously, wondering if he should tell the boy the whole legend.

"Well, it's only a myth Harry. Nobody has ever found it. But, I can't see any harm in telling you, I'm sure you'll find out anyway. It goes back to the time of the Founders; you know Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Anyway, eventually the founders began to argue. Slytherin wanted to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school. This is where the myth starts. Apparently, Slytherin built a secret chamber in the castle, which he sealed when he left, and it supposedly can't be opened until Slytherin's heir arrives at the school. The heir is meant to, um, unleash the horror within and use it to rid the school of those that are apparently unworthy to study magic. But it's just a myth Harry, nothing more"

Harry paused before answering. "What's the 'horror within'?"

"Apparently it's a monster, that only the heir of Slytherin can control. But it's not real Harry, no one has ever found so much as a secret cupboard" Remus added, already seeing where Harry's mind was going.

"But, you said yourself that only the Heir of Slytherin could open it. So no one else will be able to find it, will they?"

"Oh Harry, don't be silly. It's just a myth. It's probably just somebody playing a joke"

"A joke? Pretty sick joke don't you think? With blood on the walls and a petrified cat" Harry answered back quickly.

"I wouldn't put it past some of them" A dark voice came from the doorway. Remus' head snapped up to see Sirius stood there, leaning casually against the wall.

"Sirius!" Harry cried happily, and then he seemed to remember that he was angry with him and looked to the floor. Remus sighed, for one blissful moment everything had been as it should. Sirius glanced at him quickly and took the seat next to Remus.

"You know, the marauders looked for the Chamber of Secrets once. Moony read about it and we thought it would be a great adventure. We didn't find anything though" Sirius said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Of course you didn't," Harry scoffed, "you were all Gryffindors. We've already established that the heir of Slytherin is the only one who can find it.

Remus raised an eyebrow. He had no recollection whatsoever of agreeing to that. "Well, if that's the case, you won't find it either – as you're a Gryffindor"

"Good. Filch already thinks I have something to do with it. I don't want anything to do with the chamber"

OoOoOo

Remus put the mirror down and sighed explosively as he sat in his armchair. Harry had addressed nearly all of his questions to Remus, and had barely acknowledged Sirius when he said goodbye. This argument was exhausting. Remus was sure he was he was going to have a nervous breakdown soon. He hated being in the middle, being the one who had to keep the peace.

"Well Harry seemed talkative" Sirius remarked sarcastically, staring intently at Remus.

"Oh don't. This argument between you two is so frustrating. What happened to the times when I'd walk in and find you carving something together, or talking about Quidditch or playing with Jethro?"

Sirius frowned sadly. "I don't know. I'm not even sure why he's so angry with me, I'm not aware of doing anything"

Remus sighed again. "He's not angry – he's hurt. He thinks that you won't love him anymore after the baby's born"

Sirius leapt to his feet. "What? How can he think that? I will love Harry no matter what. You told him that, right?"

"Of course I did. I'm as fed up with this argument as you are. But you have to understand how Harry feels. I think his exact words were 'Why would they want their best friends son if they have their own son?'"

Sirius' mouth dropped open. "How could he possibly think that? I've raised him like he was my son, and I will continue to love him as such, regardless of the baby. We didn't just take him in because he was James and Lily's son, we took him in because he was my godson and –"

"One of the only people I had left" Remus replied quietly. "We took him in because we loved him for who he was as a person, not who he was in regards to his parents. I've tried telling him that, but he doesn't seem to think that you view him that way"

"Rubbish" Sirius exclaimed, reaching for the mirror. "I'm going to talk to him and set things straight. I miss my godson. Harry Potter"

The two men waited in silence, staring at the mirror in hope. A minute passed and still no cheery face framed by black hair appeared. Sirius sighed. It would seem that Harry was ignoring them.

_**AN: I was feeling generous, so I've put this chapter up. My updates should stay on track for a bit, but I'm having issues with chapter 34, so if I don't get it sorted soon – my updates will slow.**_

_**Also, to Cole the Demon Hunter and madeyemarauder, thank you so much for your reviews. I haven't been able to reply – I've been super busy, but I did read your reviews. Thank you.**_

_**Please leave a review. It might just be the motivation I need to fix the chapter ;)**_


	26. Chapter 26: Clues

Harry was not happy. He couldn't talk to Remus now that Sirius had stolen the mirror. It wasn't fair. Didn't the man realize that he wanted to be left alone? He wanted to soften the blow for when they told him they didn't want him anymore. Harry hadn't believed Remus when he told him that he was talking rubbish, and without Remus' reassurances, Harry was starting to believe all of his original fears about the baby. Sirius just kept making things worse.

The Gryffindor second years were all walking out of History of Magic, desperately trying to wake up from Binn's lecture. As soon as they walked out of the classroom they were greeted by a mass of students. Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to fight against the crowd, watching as Colin Creevey walked past. He was making a habit of appearing whenever Harry finished a lesson. Ron seemed to think it was funny. Harry wasn't sure, but he did always make a point of being polite to him.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," Harry replied instantly, not even stopping to think about what he was saying.

"Harry — Harry — a boy in my class has been saying you're —"

Colin never got to finish what he was saying, because he was swept away by the crowd of students. He managed to throw out a "See you, Harry!" and then he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" Hermione asked.

"Probably that I'm Slytherin's heir. Which is bollocks really, as I'm a Gryffindor" Harry responded dully, remembering an incident where Justin Finch-Fletchey had run in the opposite direction as he spotted Harry.

"Why would they think you were Slytherin's heir Harry?" Ron asked slowly, not really understanding why people would think that.

Harry shrugged. "Because I found Mrs. Norris…or because they're idiots"

"D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked, "I mean I know it's a myth, but do you actually think it might be real?"

"I don't know. Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be — well — human."

The three of them turned a corner, finding themselves at the end of the corridor that they had just been talking about. They all stopped and looked around the corridor surreptitiously. There was an empty chair leaning against the wall and there wasn't a stiff cat hanging off the torch bracket, but apart from that, the corridor looked exactly the same as it had on Halloween.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron said quietly. The three of them exchanged glances and the looked around the corridor. It was deserted. Harry dropped his bag and lowered himself to the ground.

"Can't hurt to have a look around" Harry said, moving his hands over the floor to look for something. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for, but he soon found something odd. "Scorch marks!" he said. "Here — and here —"

"Come and look at this!" Hermione hissed, already pointing at something. "This is funny…"

Harry jumped to his feet and followed Hermione's finger. There was a small crack in the window, and about twenty spiders were rushing to climb out of it. They were scuttling at high speed, and they were all trying to get out of the crack at the same time.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione curiously; obviously wondering if this was a normal occurrence for spiders in the wizarding world. It wasn't.

"No I haven't, but lets not point them out to Ron" Harry was well aware of Ron's spider phobia, and didn't think alerting him to it would be wise. Hermione looked at him oddly, but didn't mention anything further, a fact that Harry was grateful for. He didn't want to make Ron have to explain his phobia – that would get them nowhere. Harry thought they should probably change the subject. "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up."

"It was about level with this door," Ron announced, peering at the door. He suddenly recoiled. "It's a girls bathroom"

"We still need to look though, and besides, there won't be anybody in there. That's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Come on" Hermione said, confidently striding through the door and beckoning them forwards.

Slowly, Harry walked into the bathroom. It was gloomy, damp and cold. Everything was chipped or cracked. It was awfully depressing. A glum looking ghost floated towards them, staring suspiciously at the three of them. She'd been at Nearly Headless Nick's death day party, but, if possible, she looked even more glum now than she had at the party. The ghost stared at the two boys suspiciously.

"This is a girl's bathroom. They're not girls. They shouldn't be here," Myrtle said, crossing her arms as she glared at them.

Hermione nodded quickly. "No, they're not. We just wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately? Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."

"Did you see anything funny that night?" Harry asked.

Myrtle sighed dramatically, and then began to speak in a dramatic, breathy voice. "I wasn't paying attention. Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm — that I'm —"

"Already dead" Ron suggested cheerfully. Myrtle glared at him, gave a loud sob and then turned around, diving headfirst into the toilet. They could still hear her sobbing, but they couldn't see her.

"She's a nutter," Ron said, shaking his head. Hermione rolled her eyes and gestured towards the door. Harry walked after them, still slightly stunned by Myrtle's actions. A scandalized Percy met them, almost instantly.

"Ron! That's a girl's bathroom! What were you -?"

Ron shrugged. "We're just looking, we want to find out what happened on Halloween"

Harry knew almost as soon as the words left Ron's mouth that Percy wasn't going to like them; he didn't need to see Percy swell angrily and began to walk towards them, flapping his arms in an effort to make them move.

"Get – away – from – there – " Percy told them forcefully. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner —"

Harry sighed. He knew where this was going, and one look at Ron's angry face was enough to convince him to interrupt. "I didn't touch that cat Percy"

Percy stared at him, slightly shocked. "That's what I told Ginny, but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business —"

"Excited or terrified? Look, we were just leaving anyway" Hermione added, pushing both Harry and Ron to make them turn around. They quickly walked away, Harry well aware of Percy glaring furiously at their retreating backs.

"Just make sure you don't make any more trips to girls bathrooms" Percy called after them. Ron rolled his eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "who does he think he is?"

Hermione dragged them into the library, informing the two boys that they were doing their charms homework. Harry knew better than to argue with her, so he went along with her. Ron, however, was much more reluctant; but they were forced to study anyway. After about half an hour, Hermione shut her charms book with a snap and looked up at Harry.

"I've been thinking about what Remus said and I have a few questions. Can you speak to him?"

Harry stared at her suspiciously. She was obviously trying to find out the meaning of the argument between Harry and Sirius. "No, I can't. Sirius has got the mirror, and I do not want to talk to him" Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to ask why. Harry interrupted her. "Just leave it Hermione, I don't want to talk about Sirius. What did you want to ask Remus?"

Hermione paused before answering. "Has the chamber been opened before? Because then it would mean that it was a family thing. What kind of family would want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggleborns out of Hogwarts?"

"That's obvious. You heard Malfoy – 'you'll be next, Mudbloods!' – it's obvious that it's him," Ron said, gleefully closing his charms book.

"Malfoy? The Heir of Slytherin?" Hermione asked disbelievingly. She looked at Harry again; obviously appealing for him to tell Ron his idea was stupid. He couldn't do that.

"Well it could be. I mean, his whole family has been in Slytherin. I'm sure that Siriu – Remus said that his dad was a death eater. As a family, they're definitely evil enough" Harry said quietly, trying to cover up the fact that he'd nearly talked about Sirius. He didn't want to go there.

"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries! Handing it down, father to son…" Ron continued quickly.

"Well," Hermione replied slowly. "I guess it could be possible…"

"We can't prove it though, can we?" Harry asked.

"There might be a way," Hermione began quietly, throwing a worried glance at Madam Pince. "It will be difficult though…and dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules"

"I don't suppose you'd like to tell us what in the name of Merlin you're on about?" Ron snapped.

"Let me finish and I will tell you Ron. We could use Polyjuice Potion to get into the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him knowing its us" Hermione replied, shooting an annoyed glare at Ron.

"Polyjuice potion, are you insane Hermione? That stuff is really hard to make" Harry answered quickly.

"What actually is it?" Ron asked confusedly.

"Snape mentioned it last week. It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it. We could change into three of his Slytherin friends and then question him. He'd probably tell us everything – he'd be none the wiser"

"How will you get the recipe though? I can't imagine it'll be easy to get a hold of" Harry said..

"It's in a book called Moste Potente Potions and it's in the Restricted Section. We need a teacher to sign a note of permission. We could ask Alex?" asked Hermione.

Harry froze. "NO!" He did not want to go near Alex, he'd spent the last month and a bit avoiding her, and he didn't want to ruin that. Ron and Hermione were looking at him oddly. "Er…She's too smart to fall for that. She'll get suspicious and tell Sirius and Remus, and then we'll all be in trouble"

"Fair point. We need someone really stupid, someone who won't look any further" said Ron. Harry caught the meaning and winked at Ron.

Hermione looked perplexed. "I can't think of any teachers like that"

Harry rolled his eyes.

_**Please leave a review? **_


	27. Chapter 27: Love

"Sirius, are you OK?" Remus asked, worry reflected in his light brown eyes as he watched Sirius pace as they waited outside the hospital wing. The Quidditch match was over and they'd both been horrified by Harry's injury. Somehow, Sirius associated him not talking to Harry as the reason why he'd had his arm smashed. He felt that he could have done something.

"No, I'm not OK. The first match of the year and Harry has his arm smashed in by a rogue bludger! There's something weird going on here…" Sirius answered, continuing his pacing as he stared at the door. He didn't know what to do. Panic was swelling in his chest, slowly cutting off his breathing and his arm hurt from where Remus had grabbed it as they watched the match.

"That's not what you're bothered by," Remus answered shrewdly, watching him closely. "This is the closest you and Harry have been since you told him about the baby, and you're worried about what he'll say to you"

Sirius' pacing stopped and he turned to stare at Remus. The man had hit the nail right on the head. He wanted to talk to Harry so much it almost physically hurt him, but he didn't know how. He'd warred with the problem ever since Harry had refused to answer the mirror. "I'm terrified. Remus what do I do? You and he were the only things I had for so long, I can't bear not speaking to him"

Remus smiled sadly. "He misses you nearly as much Sirius, he's just too proud to admit it"

Sirius ran a hand over his tired face. He'd never thought telling Harry could lead to this. He thought Harry knew how much Sirius loved him. But then, he'd never told Harry about the missing three years. He didn't know what Sirius had gone through, and he didn't know that one of the things that had kept him sane was Harry. He still didn't think it would be a good idea to tell the poor boy; Harry had been through enough with having to listen to the horrors in Sirius' history as well. He looked up at Remus. "I need to talk to him, I need to explain"

For the first time in months, a true smile spread over Remus' face. "Good. I'll make sure nobody disturbs you"

"Thank you" Sirius whispered, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous than he had just seconds ago. He took a deep breath and opened the doors, spotting a cluster of people in red. He smiled lightly he walked towards them, it was good to know that so many people cared about his godson. He frowned slightly when he saw the worried expressions on both Ron and Hermione's faces as the group melted away, leaving just Harry and Sirius.

He took another deep breath. "Harry, I want to talk to you"

Harry looked at Sirius, indecision plain in his eyes. Sirius looked at him sadly, trying to avoid catching a glimpse of his mangled arm. Despite the fact that his pyjama sleeve hid it and that he'd had some Skele-gro, Sirius could still tell what had happened. And the thought of it made him feel slightly sick. But this was his best chance to talk to Harry, and no matter how he felt, he'd sworn to himself that he would sort this out today.

"I don't know if I want to talk to you" Harry said finally, trying vainly to roll over so his back was facing Sirius. It didn't work. Sirius watched him expressionlessly, not quite sure how he should react. Part of him wanted to help Harry, to ease his pain and hardships, but then that would be counterproductive to Sirius' aims of talking to Harry.

"Don't talk to me then, just listen. Harry, I know exactly why you are upset, and quite frankly, I'm not sure how to fix it." Sirius said, staring at the back of Harry's head. He didn't think he was going about this in quite the right way, but as he'd told Harry, he really didn't have any idea what was the right way. Harry turned his head to look at Sirius, confusion plain in his eyes.

"Fix it? What do you mean?" Harry asked. Sirius felt his heart sink. Harry had spent the last few months with the fear that Sirius didn't want to bridge the gulf between them. The poor boy had really thought that he was being pushed away, almost that Sirius didn't want him anymore. That hurt. Harry obviously didn't know him as well as he thought.

"Of course I want to fix it. Harry, I hate this, I hate not talking to you. I love you and I miss you more than I would care to admit" Sirius replied quickly, watching sadly as Harry's eyes widened in shock.

"But… I thought – " Harry trailed off, staring at Sirius in wide eyed disbelief.

"Harry, I will never stop loving you, no matter what happens. Do you remember what I told you when Kura was born?" Harry nodded slowly. Sirius smiled slightly. "I told you that just because there was somebody new to love, didn't mean that I will love you any less. The more love you give away, the more you have to give. It will be the same this time"

Harry's green eyes filled with tears as he met the grey eyes that were watching him intently. "Really? But what if it's a boy?" Harry whispered fearfully. Sirius stared back at him, trying desperately to reassure him with his eyes as he frantically searched for a reply.

"So what if it is? Harry, I would still love you like a son even if I had 20 of them. Harry, I don't care if the baby is a boy or girl, I just care that it's healthy. Harry, you will always be special, and that's not just because of who your mum and dad were"

Harry stared at him, a single tear beginning to trace its way down his cheek. Sirius smiled at him sadly and sat down on the bed, next to Harry's feet. "Harry, you will always be the little boy who used to throw his food all around the kitchen, a look of glee on his face"

Harry laughed slightly. "I never did that!" he said indignantly.

"You did. Nearly every time I would come and visit I would end up with some form of food on my face. You used to throw just about every piece of food you were ever given – apart from chocolate. You would sit with your mouth open, demanding more chocolate"

Harry smiled slightly. Sirius rolled his eyes in amusement. Harry was almost as much of a chocoholic as Remus was. He would have said it was inherited from growing up with Remus, but he knew that it wasn't. Ever since Lily had introduced Harry to chocolate when he was one, the little boy had been in love with chocolate.

Sirius smiled broadly. Everything seemed to be getting back to normal between them. Harry looked up at Sirius. "I'm sorry for being childish Sirius. I just… I didn't know what to do"

Sirius smiled slightly at him. "I'm sorry too, I'm sorry for not realising what this would do to you. Harry, I love you, and I will never stop"

"I love you too Sirius"

"Sirius what the hell are you doing? It smells like you've set fire to the kitchen" Alex exclaimed, walking into the kitchen with her hand over her nose.

Sirius gave her a strange look. "It's toast. You and Kura both asked for toast. I thought I'd do it before I go to work, instead of you doing it"

"Toast? Where did you put the chilli?"

Sirius looked at her with wide eyes, but before he had a chance to reply to her strange question, Kura raced into the room, still dressed in her bright pink pyjamas. Sirius grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek. "Shall we make your breakfast now? While mummy looks for the chilli. I think she wants it on her toast, but I'm wise enough not to question her"

Alex shot him an exasperated look as Sirius carried Kura over to the countertop, where she sat and watched him intently butter her toast. He cut it up into small piecesfor her and then set her at the table, placing the plate in front of her.

Remus walked into the kitchen, his nose wrinkled in disgust just as Sirius grabbed a mug of coffee and downed it one. "Can I smell chilli? It's not even eight o'clock in the morning yet. Sirius, is that you being a prat again?"

"That was once, and I told you, I didn't mean to get you. It was my revenge to James. Anyway, it's not me, it's Alex. I think she wants chilli on her toast" Sirius said quickly, smiling at the memory that Remus had brought up. James had deliberately turned Sirius' hair bright pink in Transfiguration, and as revenge, Sirius had put chilli all over his breakfast. Breakfast used to be one of James' favourite things. Except James didn't actually go to breakfast that day so Remus ate it instead. He'd gone bright red and yelled himself hoarse at Sirius. It would've been funny if it hadn't made Sirius' ears ring for days.

"Why, in the name of Merlin, would you want chilli on toast? Thanks to Sirius, I've had it, and it's not pleasant" Remus said, skirting round Alex to get to the cupboard.

"I only want chilli because there isn't any pepper. I can't help it that being pregnant makes me want odd things" Alex responded, pouring chilli powder over her toast.

Sirius smiled as he looked at her. She really was everything he could have asked for. "I'll let you off. I have to go to a joyously fun meeting at work now. They suck now Moody's gone. He was brilliant at meetings" Sirius said, still smiling as he kissed Kura's forehead and Alex's cheek.

"Just don't become like him. I don't think I could live with you if you did"

"Don't worry, if I became like him, I couldn't live with myself either. I think I'd actually want you to murder me" Sirius said, a light smile on his face. "I love you. Say hello to Harry for me if you see him"

"I will do. I love you too" Alex took a bite of chilli-covered toast. "Mmm. You need to go, or you'll be late" she waved her arms vaguely towards the door.

Sirius smiled as he began the walk to the apparation point. That had been Dumbledore's bright idea, and much as he hated the trek, it probably had been quite useful. They'd put up lots of very simplistic wards when they'd got Harry, enough to give them warning if anybody dark arrived and enough to stop Muggles, but nothing more. Dumbledore had wanted more, but Sirius had refused, saying that Harry needed freedom and happiness, not to be trapped inside the house. Sirius reached the apparation point and stepped into the darkness, feeling the happiest he had in a very long time.

_**AN: So the end to Sirius and Harry's argument. I hope you like how I wrote it. Please leave a review. It lets me know when the chapters are good or bad. **_


	28. Chapter 28: Duelling

"Are you mad Hermione? That's the stupidest idea I ever heard and I grew up with Ron as my friend"

Ron turned to glare at Harry. "Oi! I'm not stupid"

Hermione ignored him and looked at Harry. "I can't see any alternative. We need the ingredients to make the potion, and Snape will surely have them. I mean, if it is Malfoy, we need to know. I don't know about you two, but I'd like to know who it was that attacked Colin. I don't want it to be me next" She finished and looked between the two of them passionately, obviously waiting for them to disagree.

"I want to know too Hermione, he was sneaking out to see me, remember? But what you suggested is suicide. I'd rather crash Sirius' beloved motorbike than do something that stupid in Snape's lesson. He'll probably kill us all" Harry countered quietly, well aware that they'd probably end up doing it anyway. He might disagree with her, but he couldn't think of an alternative.

"Well, I think it would be best if I do the actual stealing, he doesn't hate me like you. If you just distract him, I'll be able to sneak in, grab the stuff and then sneak back out"

Harry smiled weakly. Distracting Snape was probably as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

Amazingly, it had worked. Harry had chucked a firework into Malfoy's cauldron, which had promptly exploded. In the resulting chaos, Hermione had managed to sneak out and steal the ingredients, making it back to her seat before Snape even noticed she was gone. He was far too busy administering the antidote to everybody who had been splashed by Malfoy's swelling solution. He'd then looked at Malfoy's cauldron and pulled out the charred remains of the fireworks. Harry had been terrified, but had still managed to stare innocently at Snape when he'd threatened the perpetrator. He'd felt quite pleased with himself, until he got to Defence against the Dark Arts. He quickly piled his books in front of his face and doodled on a piece of parchment for the whole lesson, only just listening to Lockhart harping on about a village he'd rescued from a manic troll. He was beginning to understand Sirius' and Remus' reactions to his book list.

"Did you see the notice earlier? On the notice board?" Seamus asked as the Gryffindors wandered down the Grand Staircase for dinner. They'd just come out of Astronomy, and Harry for one was keen on warming up.

Dean saw Hermione and Ron both shake their heads and then he blurted, "Someone's starting a duelling club…tonight!"

His announcement was met with noises of interest as they all took seats at the Gryffindor table and began to pile food on their plates. Ron soon spoke up, forcing his words around a mouthful of roast potatoes. "Surely Slytherin's monster can't duel"

Harry couldn't help but agree with him as Hermione replied. "Maybe not, but it's still useful to know about duelling. I bet if we'd known how to duel last year, we wouldn't have got in so much trouble"

Harry winced at the reminder. Once they'd assured themselves that he was OK, Remus and Sirius had both been furious. Remus had shouted himself hoarse and Sirius had made him write a letter of apology to Dumbledore for his stupidity and had then taken his broom away, leaving him with nothing to do except his homework. It was torture. he didn't get his broom back until after they returned from Rome. Ron snorted in derision, snapping Harry out of his self-pity.

"What were we meant to do? Duel with the Devil's Snare? Or maybe the chess set?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort angrily, but Seamus cut across her. "Who do you think will be teaching the duelling club? I heard something about Flitwick being a champion dueller"

Harry shot Seamus a grateful look. "I honestly don't care as long as it's not Lockhart"

Hermione joined in the conversation, her voice taking on the shrill tone that it normally did whenever anybody insulted the wavy haired professor. "I don't understand why you're all so mean about him. Personally, I find him a fascinating teacher"

Ron spoke in an undertone. "Only because you fancy him"

Hermione blushed fiercely. "Ronald! I do not! I merely admire his accomplishments"

Ron snorted again and whispered in Harry's ear, "By accomplishments I think she means his hair"

Harry tried to hide his laughter by taking a too large bite of his Yorkshire pudding, causing him to choke on it. Ron thumped him on the back and the rest of the evening passed peacefully. They joined the mass of students waiting outside the Great Hall, Harry suddenly becoming an authority on duelling because he grew up with an auror. All questions stopped however, when the doors to the Great Hall creaked open dramatically. The students all wandered in, muttering amongst themselves as they stared at the golden stage against one wall. Harry was feeling quite cheerful until the man whose company he most dreaded waltzed in, followed quickly by Harry's other least favourite teacher.

Harry groaned as Lockhart began to talk. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent" He smiled broadly at the assembled students, Harry fought the urge to vomit. "Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works. "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," He grinned again and gestured in Snape's direction. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin." He paused dramatically. Ron rolled his eyes. "Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

Harry was watching Snape closely. His black eyes were glittering maliciously and his upper lip was curling slowly in dislike. Harry knew for a fact that he would have run a mile if Snape were looking at him like that. Harry wasn't sure if it was bravery or stupidity that was keeping Lockhart smiling as they walked on to the stage.

Ron leant over to mutter in Harry's ear, "Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?"

Lockhart was still smiling as he bowed with a flourish and raised his wand. Snape merely jerked his head impatiently as Lockhart began to speak again. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

Snape bared his teeth as Lockhart cried "One – Two – Three! –" And whipped his wand through the air. He shouted "Expelliarmus!" and watched with poorly concealed satisfaction as the jet of scarlet light hit Lockhart and threw him backwards into the wall, catching his wand deftly as it soared through the air. Some of the Slytherin's cheered, but most girls gasped in horror as Lockhart groaned and climbed unsteadily to his feet, his hair sticking out at all angles from his head.

Snape threw Lockhart back his wand as he staggered back onto the stage. "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm. Yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"

Lockhart then announced that they should pair up and practice amongst themselves. Ron nodded at Harry, who drew his wand. Before he could aim it at Ron, Snape appeared. "Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnegan. Potter, partner Malfoy"

Malfoy strutted over, sneering at Harry as they both nodded quickly at each other and pointed their wands. Lockhart counted down and the hall was suddenly filled with bangs and cries. Harry managed to get in a bat-bogey hex and a tickling curse, while Malfoy hit him with a jelly legs jinx.

Snape shouted for them to stop and everybody in the hall instantly froze, except for Malfoy, who continued to laugh uproariously. Snape righted the two of them and Harry stared around the hall in alarm. Ron was holding a rather pale Seamus, Hermione and her partner were frozen in an open brawl, and a few students were clutching bleeding noses.

"Dear, dear. I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," Lockhart announced, trying not to shudder at the dark look in Snape's eyes. "I think we need a volunteer pair, Professor Snape?"

Snape grinned maliciously. "Potter! Malfoy! Come here!"

Harry walked forward anxiously, trying to ignore the feeling of dread settling in his stomach as he watched Snape whisper something in Malfoy's ear. They turned to face each other, the arrogant smirk on Malfoy's face making him feel cold. Lockhart turned to Harry. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." Lockhart tried to perform a strange wiggling move with his wand, but it flew out of his hand and struck Ernie MacMillan on the nose.

"Whoops— my wand is a little overexcited—"

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes as he and Malfoy faced each other. Lockhart counted them off and Malfoy whipped his wand into the air, shouting. "Serpensortia". Harry stared in horror as a large black snake shot out of the end and landed in front of him. It moved towards him, its eyes fixed on him, its thin red tongue flickering in and out as it tasted the air.

Snape moved forward to remove the snake, but then froze as Lockhart strode forward and pointed his wand at the snake. The snake flew into the air with a loud bang and then landed in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley, hissing furiously.

Even looking back, Harry wasn't sure what possessed him to do what he did next, but he stepped forward and shouted, "Leave him alone!" Inexplicably, the snake did as Harry said and stopped, leaving Snape to step forward and vanish the snake. It was only then that Harry looked up, expecting to see smiles and relief on the faces of those in front of him. He didn't get that. The students all looked terrified, and some of them were glaring at him. Justin shouted, "What do you think you're playing at?" and a few of the students looked like they agreed with him. Harry frowned and looked around. Snape was watching him shrewdly, as if trying to work out what had just happened.

Harry heard an ominous muttering and the glares intensified. Harry shifted awkwardly. He didn't understand.

_**Please review **_


	29. Chapter 29: Secrets

Remus rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was the day after the full moon and he was exhausted. Not that they were doing much. He was sat with Sirius and Alex, staring into the depths of the fire and listening to the wireless. Alex was scolding Sirius for getting his head cut open on his case, and Remus let their voices wash over him, a memory of Lily scolding James for something similar drifting in front of his eyes. He smiled slightly at the memory and then froze as Alex and Sirius' voices stopped suddenly. He opened his eyes to see the two of them rummaging through Sirius' case files, obviously looking for something.

They obviously found it because Harry's voice suddenly filled the room, sounding panicked and rushed.

"Harry! What's wrong?" Sirius asked, concern already clouding his voice. They'd spoken to Harry only yesterday, and the only reason for him to contact them was that something had happened.

Sirius walked over to where Remus was sat, and settled next to him so they could both see Harry. He looked awfully pale and shaken. He immediately launched into his story about the snake and duelling club. "Hermione says its really bad because it's what Slytherin was known for, and now the whole school's going to think I'm his great grandson or something"

"No one's going to think that Harry. You're not even in his house" Remus reassured him, well aware that it probably wouldn't work in calming him down. It didn't.

"But I nearly was! The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I asked it not to" Harry protested, a whinge appearing in his voice. Remus blinked. Harry had never told them that before. He looked at Sirius for wisdom. Sirius was already speaking.

"It suggested Slytherin for me too. My entire family have been in Slytherin. It changed its mind soon enough though, when I told it I didn't like Slytherin"

Remus caught a glimpse of Harry looking shocked before he turned to look at Sirius. He saw Alex doing the same and knew that she was thinking the same thing as him. Sirius had never mentioned that before either. That partly explained why he'd been such a wreck that first night.

"Really?"

Sirius smiled slightly. "The hat takes your choice into account. It doesn't matter how you start, but how you finish is what's really important. Being able to talk to snakes means nothing about the person you are. It doesn't change how much I love you"

Harry smiled at Sirius' words and then turned to look at Alex. "Just because Slytherin was a parseltongue, doesn't mean he was the only wizard to be in history"

"But he's the only one that anyone knows about" Harry said dejectedly. Remus looked away. That wasn't exactly true, but there was no need to upset Harry further. "What do I do now?"

Remus smiled reassuringly. "I don't think there's anything you can do about it. Just like Sirius can't sing. You just have to work out how to use it to your advantage"

"But it's not to my advantage! People are starting to think that I'm the one that's attacking people!"

Sirius sighed. "But you're not, and we know that. Everyone that knows you knows that its complete rubbish. Just remember that. And remember that you've only got a few days left before Christmas. It won't seem so bad then"

Dumbledore frowned at Sirius. "We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of the students"

Sirius scoffed. "Obviously not. Two students and a ghost have been attacked and you're none the wiser to what's doing it. You're all too busy blaming Harry for being the wrong place at the wrong time"

Dumbledore's eyes turned cold. "I don't appreciate what you're implying. There are enough precautions in place that will ensure all of the students safety while we investigate what is attacking students"

Remus shot a silencing glare at Sirius and spoke. "Do you have any idea what it might be?"

"I have my suspicions, but I would prefer to gather more evidence before divulging anything"

"Why is Harry involved?" Sirius asked, not even bothering to conceal his irritation. "This isn't anything to do with Voldemort, is it?"

Dumbledore's face took on a closed expression. "I do not believe so. My sources tell me he's still in Albania. Harry is involved purely because he can speak parseltongue and the students have decided that it makes him the Heir of Slytherin"

Remus sighed. He and Sirius had been called in to speak to the headmaster when Harry had found another two victims. Harry had been a nervous mess when the two of them had got there, sure that he was being accused. After they all assured him countless times that it was not the case he had eventually brightened and gone off with Alex and Kura. As soon as he had left, Sirius had turned to Dumbledore and demanded that he explain everything that was going on. Hence the argument that the two of them were having with angry glares.

"Can you guarantee the safety of all of the students?" Sirius asked, the snap evident in his voice that he normally reserved for interrogation.

Dumbledore hesitated for maybe a second before he gave them a confirmation. Remus narrowed his eyes at him. Sirius obviously thought along the same lines. "Having to think about it is answer enough. Harry's not safe here. I'm taking him home"

Remus turned to him in shock. "I don't think he'd ever forgive you. He gets the train home tomorrow, there's no point in taking him home now"

Sirius sighed. "Fine" He turned to the headmaster, "He won't be coming back next term"

"Hogwarts isn't safe anymore Remus" Sirius announced as soon as Remus stepped out of the fireplace.

Remus sighed and swept his fringe out of his eyes. "Its no more dangerous than when we were students"

Sirius scoffed. "The students are being attacked from something within the castle! That's not the same as when we were there. We all knew that Hogwarts was far safer than anywhere else. That's not the case now. The castle itself is the danger"

"I'm not disagreeing with you, I just think that this can not be a hasty decision. Harry will be furious with you. You need to think about this carefully"

"I will not put Harry in danger! I won't fail James and Lily again," Sirius said softly, his voice throbbing with passion. A single tear formed in his grey eyes and he blinked it away furiously. "I promised I'd keep him safe, and I have no intention of failing"

"Sirius, I didn't mean –"

"I know. I just want you to know why I'm doing what I am"

Remus smiled sadly and let his eyes fall on a photograph above the fireplace. The photo was of the marauders, Lily and Harry, taken in August 1981. Sirius had a stick to help him walk, and Remus had a large bruise running the entire length of his jaw. But it was the last photo taken of all of them together, so it had pride of place in the lounge. He looked at the trusting smile on Lily's face and he knew that he would do anything to keep Harry safe.

"The three witches and the knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain's waters carried no enchantment at all" Remus finished.

"Yay!" Kura cried. Remus had been reading her the story of the Fountain of Fair Fortune, as was their custom in the morning. Sirius was home today, Scrimgouer having let him come home early for wrapping up a case, and Alex was busy teaching students various languages. "Can we read more? Please?" Kura asked, her large grey eyes fixed on him hopefully.

"More? Kura, we've finished the book. The rest of Beedle's stories are too scary for little princesses" Remus answered, laying the book down on the side of the armchair. "Plus, I think we need to go and meet Harry at the station soon. And then mummy will be home soon"

Kura grinned at him. "And then we can do the tree!"

Remus smiled. "Yes, then we can do the tree. We best go get your dad so we can go to the station" He stood up and swung Kura onto his hip, smiling as Jethro raised his head sleepily to see what they were doing. Sirius was filling in a long form, looking more and more miserable as he read down the form. He brightened somewhat when he saw Kura in Remus' arms. Remus smiled and set her down on the floor. As soon as her feet touched the wooden floor, she ran towards Sirius, giggling and screaming with delight as Sirius held her up and spun her through the air.

"Is it time to go the station?" Sirius asked between Kura's shrieks. Remus nodded.

The journey to King's Cross was awfully slow this year, though that may have been because Kura sat in the back, asking "If they were nearly there yet?". Sirius' hands would tighten on the steering wheel every time she asked, and Remus answered "nearly", with increasing tiredness and concealed irritation every single time. By the time they parked at the train station, Remus felt like bashing his face into a brick wall. Sirius didn't look much better, but he managed to plaster a smile on his face as he lifted her out of the car.

Remus shifted his weight from foot to foot as they waited, his breath steaming in front of him. It was painfully cold, but Remus knew that he wouldn't have missed this for anything in the world. There was nothing as good as when he saw Harry return safely, regardless of the fact that he'd seen him yesterday.

Sirius' voice intruded on his thoughts. "Do you think I was right to tell Dumbledore that Harry won't return to school?"

Remus sighed. He honestly didn't know. he knew that Harry would be furious, but he also knew that Harry would likely be in danger if he went back. "I don't know. I want him to be safe as much as you do, but I worry that he'll do something stupid if you keep him home, as in, stupider than normal. Besides, Alex is at Hogwarts. He's not alone"

Sirius nodded and set Kura on the floor. She took his hand and waited impatiently for Harry to walk through the barrier. When he finally did she took off at a run towards him, ignoring Sirius' calls to come back and evading him as he ran after her. He nearly tripped over Harry's trolley, but managed to right himself before he made a complete fool of himself. Harry caught the little girl and they both laughed at Sirius, much to his annoyance. Harry turned to grin at Remus. He smiled back. All was well.

_**AN: You have no idea how hard I found this chapter. It took me three days to sort, and I'm still not sure that it's the best it could be.**_

_**Please review?**_


	30. Chapter 30: Family

Harry groaned as he opened an eye. He couldn't see properly, but he was quite sure that the weight on his chest and the mass of black hair in front of him was Kura trying to wake him up. He threw out an arm to find his glasses and as soon as he showed signs of life, Kura began to speak.

"Wake up lazy bum! We need to do the tree, but Daddy said we had to wait for you. You're awake now. Come on!"

Kura frowned at him and tried to pull him out of bed. It didn't work. She was only three after all. Harry made a large show of climbing out of bed reluctantly, smiling as she sighed and began to tug on his arm again. Harry smiled slightly as he climbed out of bed. He could remember getting that excited about decorating the Christmas tree. Not that he did much of it that first year. He'd been so scared of upsetting Remus or Sirius that he hadn't put a single thing on the tree. He hadn't wanted to break anything. They hadn't had the same problem the year after that.

"Kura, I need to get dressed and have breakfast before we do the tree"

Kura frowned at him. "But that'll take ages!"

Harry shrugged and grabbed a pair of jeans, watching amusedly as Kura stomped out of the room, a perfect pout on her little face. She was waiting for him when he walked out of his room and she followed him down to the kitchen, sighing dramatically when he stopped to grab his wand. She got so impatient that she actually took his hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

Harry stifled a snigger as the door opened. Sirius looked like he was trying to down the entire pot of coffee in one go, Remus was trying to hide a yawn behind the newspaper and Alex was blinking furiously in an attempt to wake herself up. She spotted the two dark haired children in the doorway. "Did she wake you up too? Sorry Harry"

Harry shrugged and reached over to steal a slice of toast off of Remus' plate. He just raised an eyebrow at him. Harry grinned. "You know it's lucky I like you"

Sirius snorted. "He means you're lucky he's too tired to do anything to you"

Remus managed to keep a completely straight face as Sirius looked away and Remus raised his wand. He shot a spell at Sirius, who didn't notice as his hair turned bright blue.

"We do the star?" Kura asked, looking at Harry. Harry looked up. The tree barely fit in the room, and the top, where the star would go, was only a few inches from the ceiling. There was no way in hell that he and Kura could reach that.

Sirius followed his eyes. "How about I help you do it? Then you and Harry can sort the lights"

Kura paused for a moment, as if thinking, then squealed her approval and took the star that Remus was holding out for her. Sirius lifted her up in the air and held her there while she carefully put the star on the top.

"Harry, take this" Remus said, holding out the end of the lights. Harry took it and watched as Remus cast a spell to unravel the lights. Kura joined them and claimed to be helping Harry string the lights around the tree. It wasn't helping, but she looked so thrilled to be doing it that Harry didn't have the heart to tell her off.

Alex appeared in the doorway as soon as they'd finished doing the lights, a plate of mince pies in her hand. Remus rose first and took the largest one, leaving the rest of them to scramble for the others. Alex laughed as Sirius playfully batted Harry's hand away from the biggest one left. Harry shoved him back. "There's enough for everyone. Relax"

"There might be enough for everyone, but as I'm the oldest I think I deserve the biggest" Sirius said quickly, still trying to keep Harry away from the pie while holding back his laughter.

"That's true. You are old" Harry retorted, dodging out of the way when Sirius went to poke him.

"I'm 33! That's not old" Sirius said back in an offended tone, the pie completely forgotten on the tray.

"That's ancient! That's 21 years older than me!" Harry replied, smiling lightly as Remus chuckled.

"Now, now children. Calm down. The two that are left are exactly the same size" Alex interrupted, calmly offering said mince pies to the two of them. Harry smirked as Sirius threw his hand out to grab his mince pie first. He'd missed these moments of childishness with Sirius. Their argument seemed so childish now. He'd missed out on all of this. He'd missed his family.

"I wish Tonks was here this year," Harry said wistfully as he helped Alex peel the sprouts by hand. She said they always tasted better when done by hand, but Harry privately thought she just did it to annoy him. It was one of the most boring things he'd ever done, and he had to do it every year. Apart from a couple of years ago when Sirius' cousin Andromeda and her family had joined them. He and Tonks had been peeling sprouts, but it had soon turned into a full on sprout war. Harry still grinned at the memory.

Alex laughed quietly. "She's too embarrassed to come back. After she nearly broke Remus' nose, she won't come back, despite Sirius' numerous invites"

Harry smiled slightly at the memory. Tonks had slipped on one of the sprouts, just as Remus had walked in. He'd tried to catch her before she fell, but one of her flailing arms had caught him in the face. He'd tried to assure her that the nosebleed that resulted from it didn't matter, but she'd spent the rest of the day apologising. She'd been too embarrassed to come back since, much to Harry's irritation. Tonks was great fun.

"I invited her this year, but she refused. She's far too busy in auror training" Sirius said from the doorway.

"Is auror training hard then?"

Alex managed to answer first. "Obviously not, if Sirius and James both got through"

Harry snorted in amusement but Sirius pouted at his wife. "Oh that's nice. My own wife turns against me," He turned to Harry. "It's challenging. They're very strict and only accept the best. That's why we deal with the most dangerous people – dark wizards. We're the elite, which is why there isn't actually very many of us"

Harry stared at him. He knew what Sirius did was dangerous, but he'd never truly grasped the seriousness of it before. He never knew quite how much danger Sirius put himself in every day. The thought made his blood run cold.

"Do you need a hand with the sprouts?" Sirius asked, drawing Harry's attention back to the present, and away from the memory of Sirius coming home late at night, looking like the walking dead.

Harry looked at the pile of sprouts before him. Alex's entire family had come for Christmas this year, and she'd told them they weren't allowed to help. He was feeling rather bitter about the whole thing. But it did mean he got to spend time with Alex, which was always worth it. She was always full of stories about Lily, and certain embarrassing stories about the marauders that Remus and Sirius wouldn't tell him. "I wouldn't if I was allowed to use my wand?" Harry said hopefully.

Sirius grinned. "Not going to happen kiddo. Nice try though. Mrs Potter used to make us do the sprouts every year, its only fair that we return the favour. Some of my best memories occurred thanks to sprouts. Like Moony trying to teach me and James to play cricket with carrots as cricket bats"

Harry laughed at the image as Sirius continued. "We only stopped when James managed to hit a sprout and it smashed into the rest, coating the kitchen with sprouts. Mrs Potter didn't seem to find it funny until afterwards"

Remus walked in just as Harry starting to laugh even harder and Sirius sat down to help him, a grin on his face. "Alex, your dad's starting to scare me – "

"Yes, it's a skill he's perfected over the years. I think it comes from having twins – and a daughter who wasn't exactly well behaved at school" Alex interrupted shrewdly, not even bothering to turn away from the parsnips that she was cooking.

Sirius snorted. "I'll say. I seem to recall a certain brunette turning one of the Slytherin's hair bright blue in the middle of transfiguration. It was brilliant, until McGonagall blamed James and I. Oddly enough, she wouldn't believe that we had nothing to do with it"

Remus gave him a pointed look. "That's because you two had a habit of hexing any member of the Slytherin house"

Sirius looked offended. "We didn't hex everyone!" He leaned towards Harry and added in an undertone, "Just most of them"

Harry sat in the lounge, squeezed between Remus and Sirius on the sofa. Remus was playing with Kura and one of Alex's nephews, Sirius' head was lolling on his chest, peacefully sleeping and Harry was busy trying to avoid the eyes of Darren, Alex's other nephew, who kept trying to draw Harry into a game of Exploding Snap. He was too full to do much of anything but laugh occasionally at Remus.

A loud tapping noise filled the room. Sirius jerked awake and jumped to his feet, fumbling for his wand. Alex raised an eyebrow at him, a hand resting on her swollen belly. "It's just an owl. I think its Hedwig"

Harry's eyes shot up and widened at the sight of his snowy owl on the windowsill, looking increasingly annoyed as she continued to tap on the window. Harry raced to open the window, closing it as soon as people began to moan about the cold. With Hedwig settled on his shoulder, he picked his way out of the lounge, carefully avoiding the presents that were still on the floor. As soon as he left the room, he untied the letter from Hedwig's leg and quickly unfurled the letter she had just brought him. A sneaky smile spread across his face as he scanned through it. He didn't take much of it in, but three words stood out at him.

_The potion's ready_

_**AN: Please leave a review**_


	31. Chapter 31: Diaries and dads

"Hogwarts isn't safe anymore. Something attacking students" Sirius repeated for what felt like the fifth time today.

"Something's attacking muggleborn students! I'm not muggleborn, I'm perfectly safe here!" Harry snapped back, his voice rising with his temper.

"So why are you involved? Harry, there's something far darker going on here and no one quite knows what it is. We just want you safe" Sirius said, pinching the bridge of his nose to stop himself from losing it with Harry.

Harry searched for a retort. Sirius sighed loudly. He'd let Harry go back to Hogwarts early against his better judgement, but now he regretted that idea. He'd been reading with Kura when a very worried Ron Weasley had appeared in Harry's mirror. Ron had told him that Harry had been looking at a diary they'd found and he'd just disappeared. As in he'd been sat there one minute and he'd vanished the next. Sirius had rushed to Hogwarts and had been there to witness Harry's reappearance, seemingly out of the book. All of Sirius' worry about Harry had hit him at that one moment and he'd dragged the boy into the empty boys dormitory and told him that he was coming home. As expected, Harry wasn't taking the news well.

Harry tried to change the subject. "You know the Chamber of Secrets was opened before? I know who opened it before, it was H-"

"Harry, stop. You don't understand the seriousness of any of this. You're coming home, where you'll be safe, and that's final," Sirius snarled, feeling his temper take over.

"I'm not! I want to stay here"

"And I want you to be safe. You won't be if you stay here" Sirius shouted, a small part of his mind feeling awful for shouting at Harry.

"I'm staying here with my friends. I don't want to be stuck with your family" Harry shouted back.

In the heat of the moment, Sirius couldn't understand why Harry was so angry. He ignored the slight on his family. "Don't you shout at me! This isn't up for debate. Pack your stuff"

Harry took a step back from him. His face contorted in fury and his green eyes narrowed. "I'm not! You're not my dad, you can't tell me what to do!"

Sirius' mouth fell open. Harry's eyes widened and he seemed to immediately know that what he had said was below the belt, but it was too late. The damage was done. Anger like he'd only felt once before flooded through him and he took a step towards Harry, who flinched. Instead of stopping him, the flinch only made him angrier. Harry had no right or reason to be afraid of him. He'd raised the boy like he were his son ever since he took him in, giving him all the love and affection that anybody could want. Sirius glared at him. He never would have believed it was possible to be this angry with someone you loved. Looking at Harry's half defiant, half scared expression filled Sirius with a desire to slap him. It became stronger the longer he looked at him. His hand twitched slightly and Harry stared at it in fear. It got to the point where he knew he'd have to do it, or leave. He spun on his heel and stomped out of the room. Breathing heavily, he completely ignored Ron, Neville and an exceptionally pale Ginny, and almost ran out of the common room.

Sirius threw himself onto his bed, his eyes staring, unseeing, at the white ceiling. He didn't know what to do about Harry, or what he should even feel. Mostly, he just felt a terrible sadness. Harry's words had forced him to confront the question that had haunted him ever since they'd taken Harry in. _Is this what you would do James? Have I raised him like you would have wanted? _James' death still hung heavily over Sirius, he'd been his best friend, his brother. Sirius didn't think he'd ever really escape the memory of finding James' broken body. It would likely haunt him until he died.

Which was why Harry's words had hurt so much. He'd brought up the one thing that Sirius had been wrestling with for years. Harry was the only thing left of both James and Lily, and Sirius had sworn that he would do anything for him. He would die for him without a second's hesitation. But Harry didn't know that, if their last argument was anything to go by. He and Harry had never really argued before this year, but now they'd had two in the past four months. The only other major argument they'd had was the day before Sirius' wedding and Harry had refused to go.

The worst thing about Harry's words though, was that they were true. James and Lily had been wonderful parents, and it had never been Sirius' intention to replace them. He'd made sure that Harry had always known that, but now…

"Sirius, are you OK?" Remus' slightly hoarse voice asked from the doorway. "I've just spoken to Harry, and he's terrified that he's upset you"

Sirius looked up at him. He felt a small surge of warmth as he saw his best friend. Remus had seen him at his worst, and knew him far too well for Sirius to even attempt brushing his concern off with a shrug. "I don't know. His words made me think. Have we raised him how James and Lily would have wanted?"

Remus smiled slightly. "The fact that we've raised him was what they wanted. We've raised him as best we could. Whatever we did, it was a damn sight better than how the Dursleys would have raised him. You know that, and I think Harry does as well – which is why your wife at Hogwarts is currently comforting him. He's a right mess"

"That's because he's a good kid. I don't know Remus, I just…" Sirius trailed off, not quite sure how to vocalise his thoughts. "I was so angry Remus. he was one of the things that forced me to survive in Azkaban, and all I wanted to do was hurt him. I was never good at this sort of thing. I can't understand how I could be so angry at him"

Remus walked over and sat down next to Sirius on the bed. "You were angry with him because you love him. You're worried about him, and while I am too, I think we both failed to think how Harry felt. He just wants to be normal, and being the only student at Hogwarts to be dragged home by his godfather isn't"

Sirius turned to him. "I just want him to be safe. That's all I've ever wanted. His words were true though. We're not his parents"

"No we're not. But his parents are gone. I think we've done a good job of filling their shoes, even though we've tried not to replace them," Remus smiled lightly at him, "Stop worrying Sirius, you're a wonderful parent and godfather"

Sirius swirled his glass of firewhiskey slowly, staring into the amber liquid as if it contained the answer to all of his problems. He knew he should go and talk to Harry, but something in him couldn't do it. Harry's words were still haunting him, paralyzing him every time he moved. He'd never thought that Harry could say something so hurtful...

Sirius dragged a tired hand over his face. His children were the most important people in his life, and as far as he was concerned, Harry was one of them. Sirius had watched him grow with great joy and pride, but also a hint of sadness. He couldn't help but think about James and Lily when he watched Harry. When his green eyes would sparkle with joy just like Lily, or when his lips would curve into a lopsided grin, just like James. He was so like them it physically hurt. But not talking to him, being angry with him hurt even more.

Sirius drained the glass of firewhiskey and stood up decisively. Harry's words might have hurt, but Sirius knew as well as anyone that things you didn't really mean often slipped out when you were angry. He was not going to let this drive a rift between them. Not again.

Sirius flooed straight to the headmaster's office, and, after learning the password for the Gryffindor common room, set off towards the tower at a jog. He ignored the strange looks from passing students and even from the fat lady. They didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was Harry.

Sirius looked around the common room. Neither Ron, Hermione nor Harry was anywhere to be seen. He spotted Neville and crouched down next to him. "Neville, where are they? Where's Harry?"

Neville looked straight at him. Sirius tried so hard not to wince as Frank's eyes stared at him. He'd known Neville's parents well, and it still made him feel slightly sick to think about what had happened to them. Nobody deserved that, especially not them. "Well, they were visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing, but Harry just came back and went straight to bed"

Sirius smiled his thanks at Neville and took off towards the Dormitories, trying not to wonder what had put Hermione in the Hospital Wing. He pushed the 'second year' door open and looked around. He spotted Harry curled into a tight ball, the duvet pulled over his head. Sirius smiled slightly.

He pulled the corner of the duvet away, staring at the messy dark head. "Alright there kiddo?"

Harry turned to look at him, his eyes red rimmed and bloodshot. "Sirius! I'm really sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, honestly. It just kind of slipped out. I just really want to stay here"

Sirius cut across Harry's babbling. "Its OK Harry. I love you, Harry James Potter, that's not going to change because we shouted at each other. Don't worry, I've said more than my fair share of cruel words. What kind of man would I be if I didn't forgive you?"

_**AN: Please leave a review. I'm currently wading through a report on estuaries. I think it's the most boring thing I've ever written. I feel like smashing my face into my desk. Your reviews brighten my day **_


	32. Chapter 32: A fourth attack

Harry Potter was shut in his bedroom. He'd shut himself there actually, an act of rebellion against the stupid rules that Sirius had set. He'd let him stay at Hogwarts, but only if he agreed to a list of rules that almost made him wish he'd just come home in the first place. Sirius made him come home every weekend, he had to keep his mirror on him at all times and he'd confiscated the invisibility cloak. As she was a part time professor, Harry was used to seeing Alex around the castle, but she seemed to be appearing a bit often to be wholly innocent. Harry was convinced that Sirius had asked her to keep an eye on him.

Not anymore though. The baby was due at the beginning of June and her maternity leave had started at the end of April. Despite the fact that he had all these stupid rules on him, he had still managed to work out quite a bit, especially since Hermione had come out of the Hospital Wing after the incident with the Polyjuice Potion; though it had stalled somewhat when Neville ran to tell him that his room had been trashed. Everything had been moved, but only one thing had gone. Tom Riddle's diary. Though, worse by far was what had happened to Hermione. The memory of what had happened to her still made him wince.

_Harry had persuaded Sirius to let him go back early, and as soon as he was alone Hermione had grabbed him and dragged him to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ron was already there, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. He held out a small glass vial._

"_Hermione and I got them when you said you'd be back. We've drugged both Crabbe and Goyle, so they can't burst in on us"_

"_All we have to do is put the hairs in and drink it" Hermione said, slightly nervously._

"_And that'll give us an hour as Slytherins to question Malfoy, right?" Harry asked, watching Hermione ladle a large dollop into each of the three glasses that she brought._

_Hermione nodded and the three of them dropped the hairs into the cup of foul liquid. They all hissed and frothed, finally settling into some of the most disgusting colours Harry had ever seen. Hermione's glass turned a sickly yellow, Ron's turned a muddy brown and Harry's turned the colour of a bogey. Harry turned his nose up at the smell and the thought that he'd have to drink the foul looking potion. _

"_Wait, I think we need to separate. We won't fit once we've transformed" Harry warned, already moving into a separate stall. Ron did the same. Harry took a deep breath and downed the foul potion in two large gulps. _

_Instantly, feeling like he'd just swallowed a very alive snake, Harry doubled over, gasping as a burning sensation spread over his entire body. He gasped again as his skin began to bubble and change. It was the most horrible thing he'd ever felt. He could feel his hands and feet actually growing, the Slytherin robes that Hermione had made them wear suddenly not feeling so big. His chest was swelling and he actually felt his bones begin to shift._

_It stopped suddenly. He quickly stood up, banging into the door as he forgot how big he now was. Trying to ignore Myrtle sobbing in the corner, he laced up Goyle's massive shoes and pocketed his glasses. Before today, he'd never truly appreciated how bad his eyesight was, but as Goyle he could barely see a thing through them. He opened the bathroom door just as Crabbe stepped out of the stall next to him._

"_This is weird" Ron announced, pulling faces in the mirror. "Don't suppose you know where the Slytherin Common Room is?"_

_Harry shook his head, and then brightened. "Hermione will know. Come on"_

_Just as he raised his fist to knock on her door, a high-pitched voice spoke. "I don't think I can go. Look, you two go on, question Malfoy and then come back"_

_Harry frowned at Ron, who shrugged and gestured to the door. They both muttered 'goodbye's to Hermione and then started towards the dungeons. They knew the common rooms were around there, they could just hope that they found a Slytherin to follow. The way there was uneventful, the two of them muttering to each other how to look like their chosen Slytherin. After a brief encounter with Percy in the dungeons, during which Harry had to elbow Ron to stop him giving them away, Malfoy, who pulled them away with a scathing remark for Percy, found them. He led them into the Slytherin common room and threw himself onto a large sofa._

_Harry stared around at the room. The long walls were green with silver designs all over them. Everything was silver and elaborately carved. He and Ron took seats slowly and turned to watch Malfoy. _

"_Where were you two then?" He asked._

_Ron looked at Harry. "Hospital Wing. Crabbe had a stomach ache"_

"_Oh," Malfoy replied, then brightened, a malicious glint in his eye. "Did you give the Mudbloods a kick?" Malfoy snickered at his own cruel joke; which was lucky really, as both Harry and Ron glared at him furiously. _

_He glanced at the two of them concernedly, who belatedly laughed, feeling slightly sick as they did so. Malfoy didn't stop there though. He spoke in a very thoughtful tone. __"You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet, I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up"_

_Harry forced himself to smile as Malfoy carried on about how Dumbledore was the worst thing to happen to the school. Harry's eyes widened as he remembered all the times that Dumbledore had given him help, or any form of kindness. He still had a vague memory of Dumbledore being there when Sirius and Remus took him from the Dursleys._

_Malfoy made it even worse. "A proper headmaster would never let scum like Creevey in". He looked at Harry and Ron, as if expecting them to laugh. They did, eventually. He seemed satisfied. "He's obsessed with Potter." Harry tried not to wince, as the truth of his statement hit him. "Saint Potter, the Mudblood friend. He's another blood traitor, just like his godfather. And people think he's the Heir of Slytherin"_

_Harry tried not to react at the insult to his godfather. Both he and Ron waited in silence, hoping desperately that Malfoy would tell them it was him. But then – "I wish I knew who it is, I could help them"_

_Ron's mouth fell open. It made Crabbe look like he'd just been presented with a difficult question. Harry thought it actually made him look more convincing. Harry feigned an air of fawning interest. __"You must have some idea who's behind it all…"_

_Malfoy sighed in annoyance. "You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?__And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it" Harry inwardly cursed. This was proving to be pointless. "But I know one thing — last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time… I hope its Granger" Malfoy added, a malicious grin on his pointed face._

_Ron grimaced and clenched his fists. Harry didn't feel much better, but he thought it would give them away if Ron punched Malfoy. He shot Ron a warning look and said "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"_

_"Oh, yeah… whoever it was was expelled," Malfoy said with an air of disappointment. "They're probably still in Azkaban."_

_Harry nodded slowly. Remus had told him about Azkaban when he was younger. He'd warned him not to mention it to Sirius, who apparently didn't like talking about the prison where most of his targets ended up. Malfoy shifted in his chair and then spoke in a low voice._

_"Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment, what with the raids. You know, someone in the ministry keeps raiding our house. Father says that Black's probably behind it. He says he always was a fool"_

_Harry forced himself to smile and nod._

_Malfoy smirked. "They haven't found anything though. There's a secret chamber under the drawing room. Blood traitor Black hasn't found that one"_

_Harry and Ron shared a look. Ron's eyed widened and Harry's did the same. Ron's nose was slowly lengthening and his hair was becoming redder by the minute. They both stood up quickly – their hour was up. "I left my bag in the Hospital Wing. I don't want any Mudbloods touching it" Harry said, feeling dirty as the hateful word left his lips._

_Malfoy smirked and waved them away, not even bothering to look as they fled the common room. Harry held his robes above his knees as he and Ron raced back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ron shut the door as Harry found his glasses._

"_I think we need to write to Sirius and tell him to check under Malfoy's drawing room floor. It'd be brilliant if he managed to get Lucius on something" Ron said._

_Harry nodded fervently as Ron started to hammer on the door of Hermione's stall. A high, panicked voice told them to go away. Harry and Ron glanced at each other._

"_What's wrong? Surely you're back to normal now, we are"_

_Moaning Myrtle suddenly appeared, a large grin on her face as Hermione opened the door, her robes pulled over her face. She was sobbing, and Ron suddenly seemed uncertain. _

"_What's wrong Hermione? Did something go wrong?"_

_Hermione wailed and dropped her robes. Ron took a step back. Her face had taken on a distinctly feline quality. It was covered in black fur, her eyes had become yellow and there were two pointed cats ears poking out of her hair. _

_"It was a c-cat hair! M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"_

_Ron stared at her, at a complete loss for words. Harry took over. "It's okay, Hermione, We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…" _

_He dragged the invisibility cloak out of his bag and threw it over the three of them. They very quickly made their way to the Hospital Wing._

Hermione had had to spend a month and a half in the Hospital Wing. Harry never realised until she was gone quite how much he relied on her. He missed her when she was gone, but then regretted it as soon as she came back. She seemed to think that March was an appropriate time to prepare for the June exams.

"Harry! Are we going to this match or not?" Sirius shouted upstairs. Harry grinned. It was Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff today and Harry had refused to let Sirius take him off the Quidditch team. He didn't think Sirius really wanted to, but he wanted him safe more than he wanted him happy. Harry had told them that he would go to training regardless of what they said anyway, so Sirius had given up.

Harry shouldered his Nimbus 2000. "I'm coming. I was only waiting for you"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're going to be an hour early anyway. Come on, let's go see some quidditch"

Harry didn't think he'd ever been so scared before in his life. He was being carried through the forest by something with large hairy pincers. He caught a glimpse of Ron being carried next to him, a look of terror on his face. Harry wasn't really sure how this day had ended up like this. They'd only come in for the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff match and so much had happened. The match had been cancelled when two students had been attacked. Not just any student – Hermione had been attacked. As soon as Sirius and Remus had left after an argument, Harry and Ron had gone to visit Hagrid. That hadn't gone well. Hagrid had been arrested and Dumbledore had been removed as headmaster. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Hagrid had told them to follow the spiders. That meant going into the Forbidden Forest. That hadn't gone well.

Harry was dropped to the ground with a painful crunch. A loud thud next to him told him that Ron had been dropped as well. Harry looked up and felt his heart freeze. A spider was stood over him, but it wasn't just any spider. It was the size of a large car and its large pincers were clicking together ferociously. It was saying something as well, but Harry couldn't understand it. That became the least of his worries when he heard loud, heavy footsteps from across the clearing. A spider the size of an elephant crawled forward slowly, hauling its great weight along the floor. He heard Ron give a strange squeak of terror as the grey, blind spider began to speak.

"What is it?" Its pincers clicked as the hollow voice filled the clearing. "I was sleeping"

The spider next to Ron answered him. "We found strangers. Near the hollow"

The large spider clicked his pincers slowly. "If it's not Hagrid, kill them"

The spider that carried Harry moved forward menacingly. "Wait!" Harry cried, "we're friends of Hagrid. He told us to come. He's in trouble"

Something fell into place in Harry's mind as he saw the concern in the large spider. It was a friend of Hagrid, like the spider in the memory. It was Aragog! Aragog stepped forward slightly. "Trouble? But why did he send students?"

Harry took a deep breath, trying to ignore the look of horror on Ron's face. "Something's been attacking students, up at the school. They think that Hagrid is the one behind it. They've sent him to Azkaban"

The spiders all began to click their pincers together furiously, in a wave of noise. The sound made Harry want to vomit. Aragog spoke. "But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

Harry stared. "So you're not from the Chamber of Secrets? Hagrid isn't the one behind it all" Harry said with relief. He hadn't thought it was, but it was always reassuring to know for sure.

Aragog clicked his pincers angrily again. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…"

"So, you never hurt anybody?"

"No! The body of the girl was found in a bathroom. The only part of the castle that I saw was the cupboard in which Hagrid raised me"

"But if you're not the monster, then what is?"

The entire hollow filled with clicking again. "We do not speak its name! It is a creature we spiders fear above all else!"

Harry wanted to ask more, but the spiders were moving closer, pincers clicking threateningly. He shakily climbed to his feet and pulled Ron to his feet. Ron was frozen in fear but he did throw a panicked look in Harry's direction. Harry grabbed his arm and they began to back away slowly, their movements matched by the approaching spiders. Harry racked his brain for any spells that Sirius and Remus had taught him, but to no avail. They were going to die here. Harry raised his wand to die fighting.

"WAIT!" Aragog's hollow voice echoed through the hollow, freezing the spiders where they stood. "If you kill them, men will come searching for them. Men with magic. Leave them"

Harry's eyes widened as the spiders fell back, pincers clicking furiously. Harry was stunned. Remus had told him about acromantula when he was younger, and he knew they were very territorial. Harry assumed they didn't want to risk any intruders on their territory. "Th-Thankyou Aragog, sir"

"Goodbye, friends of Hagrid" Aragog called warningly, his voice echoing creepily, as he and Ron backed away. The spider began to climb back into its nest. "You shall not be so lucky if you trespass on our lands again"

Harry dragged Ron away from the hollow. Somehow, they managed to find their way out of the forest without encountering any other creatures. Ron was still terrified at the memory of the spiders and as soon as they stumbled out of the forest, he was promptly sick in Hagrid's garden.

Ron wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "What did that achieve? We nearly got eaten!"

"Well, we know one thing" Ron looked at him. "We know that Hagrid didn't open the Chamber of Secrets"

_**AN: I am so sorry this is late. I hope the length makes up for it. Please leave a review? **_


	33. Chapter 33: Visit

"There's a step," Remus warned as he opened the door. He needn't have bothered. She tripped over it anyway. Remus dashed forwards to catch her before she hit the floor. It happened just as she raised her eyes to thank him, her dark eyes met his golden brown eyes. A jolt went through his entire body, leaving behind a feeling of warmth. A blush spread over her heart shaped face and Remus hurriedly set her back on her feet. He fidgeted with the end of his jumper as she straightened her clothes and deliberately messed her short, bubblegum pink hair.

"Thanks"

Remus smiled at her, trying to ignore the strange bubbly feeling in his stomach as she smiled back. "No harm done. Come on, I think they're in the garden"

Remus led her through the house, determined not to look at her again. He grabbed a jug of pumpkin juice off the side to give his fidgeting hands something to do. He was awfully flustered, but he wasn't quite sure why. He had no reason to be.

"TONKS!" Harry shouted as soon as the two of them walked out of the back door. He and Ron had come home for the weekend and were currently playing with the now four year old Kura. After greeting everybody Tonks joined them, her hair changing to black as she sat down with them.

Remus took a seat next to Sirius and Alex, content to sit in the sun with a glass of pumpkin juice. He wasn't really paying much attention, but soon his eyes fell on Tonks. She leant her head back, to ensure the sun fell on all her face. The sight captivated him. The sun shone off her pale face, almost like a beacon of light. Sirius coughed next to him. Remus quickly jerked his head away from her.

Sirius had a smug smile on his face. "See something you like?"

Remus felt a blush creep up his face. "N-no. I was just thinking"

Sirius kept the small smile on his face. "It's about time you got a girlfriend. You can't be alone forever"

Remus sighed. "It's better for all concerned if I stay alone. I'm dangerous, and I'm too tired for that"

"You're not as dangerous as you make yourself out to be. Some people don't care what you are, the people that know you don't care. You're a far better person than any of us, and it saddens me to see how you cut yourself off from the world" Alex cut in, looking at the two men in front of her.

Remus looked at Tonks again, taking in the way her whole face lit up when she smiled and the way her eyes twinkled. "It's for the best"

"You know, as fun as this is, I did actually visit for a reason," Tonks said as Sirius handed her a bottle of butterbeer. Remus had spent the entire afternoon trying to convince himself that the reason his eyes kept falling on her was because of her bright hair and the warmth that kept spreading over his face was purely because he was sat in the sun. She was barely 20 for the love of Merlin! It wasn't right for somebody like him to even consider liking her! Though, she was rather beautiful…

Remus slammed his bottle down on the table and stood up suddenly, just as Sirius began to speak. Remus barely heard him say, "You mean you didn't come to see me? I'm hurt"

He practically fled into the house, muttering a pathetic excuse about food. He caught the beginning of Tonks' mocking reply, but he didn't hear the end – he was too busy racing up the stairs. He walked into the bathroom and turned the cold tap on. He immediately began splashing cold water on his face. He didn't need this. He was perfectly happy as he was. And yet…

"No" Remus growled, glancing up at his reflection. There were shadows under his eyes and he swore that was a hint of grey in his hair. He was wrong for her in every way. She probably pitied him. The friend of Sirius who didn't even have enough money to move out when Sirius got married. He would probably repulse her. No, Remus decided, it would be far better not to burden the young woman with the knowledge that werewolf thought she was mesmerising. It would just be better all around if he could just forget about any feelings he might have.

She didn't make it easy. He suspected Sirius had asked her to sit next to him. His elbow kept brushing hers and at one point, they both reached towards the salad cream at the same time, only for them both to recoil as if stung. Remus tried to avoid meeting her eyes, but he could feel her eyes on him. It was very distracting.

"I heard that something happened up at the school. What was it?" Tonks asked when there was a lull in the conversation. Harry and Ron both froze and Sirius frowned at them.

"There was a fourth attack – two more students have been petrified. Dumbledore's been sacked and Hagrid's been arrested" Sirius eventually said in a low voice. Tonks' eyes widened and her hair started to darken.

"What? He was probably the only thing keeping the majority of students safe. Why was he sacked?"

"The governors have decided that its time for him to step down. If Lucius Malfoy hasn't had something to do with it I shall eat my hat" Remus said, and then blushed as Tonks turned to look at him. "He's probably threatened to curse all of them if they don't agree"

Alex nodded, but Sirius frowned at him. "You don't own a hat"

"Not anymore. I had to eat it when I said that Harry and Ron wouldn't get involved with the Philosopher's stone" Remus replied steadily. He'd conveniently lost the hat on the first day of the holiday. He wasn't going to tell Sirius that he knew the precise location of it.

"You didn't eat it Moony, you hid it" He turned to Tonks, "He's incredibly childish you know"

Remus blushed and glared at Sirius. The stupid man seemed determined to make him embarrassed. Sirius grinned at him, completely ignoring the furious glare that he was receiving from Remus. He was incredibly good at doing that. It was a skill he'd had for as long as Remus had known him.

"Indeed? Anything else that you're very good at?" Tonks asked, a cheeky twinkle in her eyes. Remus was vaguely aware of Sirius and Alex both trying to conceal a grin and Harry watching him confusedly.

Remus blushed furiously. He tried to form an answer, but his mouth opened and closed. He felt and looked like a fish out of water. "Um…I…"

"Remus is great," Harry interrupted. Remus didn't think he'd ever been so grateful to Harry before in his life. Sirius rolled his eyes, but Tonks turned to Harry curiously. "He's great fun"

Remus suddenly regained the ability to speak. "Let's not turn this evening into a conversation about me. I don't think my ego needs any more bigging up. Talk about something else" Tonks turned to look at him and their eyes met. The same jolt as earlier passed through his chest and he quickly averted his eyes. He spent the rest of evening doing everything in his power to avoid her at all costs. It was rather difficult to say the least, but finally she grabbed her bag and prepared to say goodbye.

Remus had deliberately stood at the back of the group for precisely this reason, but she walked back to say goodbye to him first anyway. She smiled and leant up to kiss him on the cheek. He blushed again. He seemed to be doing that an awful lot today. His cheek tingled slightly where her lips had brushed it, but he managed to smile as she pulled away. She grinned back and held his eyes. He felt himself drawn towards her and he quickly looked down. He knew Sirius would be smirking at him. He nodded once and managed to choke out a "goodbye". She walked away slightly dejectedly.

Remus didn't know how he felt as he watched her walk out of the front door. On the one hand, he was glad she was gone as it stopped the war of emotions raging within him. But, on the other hand, the room felt colder and darker without her. He didn't know what to feel.

Today was meant to be a break for all of them. Instead, it had been exhausting.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL

Remus rubbed a tired hand over his face. He'd managed to escape by muttering something about having a headache, but from the way that amusement danced in Sirius' eyes Remus knew that he hadn't convinced his best friend. He hadn't really expected to, but it would have been nice.

He didn't quite know how he felt. Various emotions were racing through his mind, and he couldn't quite distinguish all of them. There was a vague sense of disappointment, and confusion. Despite that, he felt happier than he had ever felt. But he also felt an awful sense of loneliness. He was busy telling himself that it was nothing to do with Tonks. It was a stupid suggestion, yet it had taken root in the back of his mind, pointing out the stupidity in his confusion.

Remus closed his eyes angrily. This was getting him nowhere. He'd just have to force his mind away from all of this, and the only way he could do that was to avoid seeing Tonks. Seeing her provoked such an internal debate that it just wasn't worth it. He wasn't going to admit to any feelings that he knew he already had. It would just cause more trouble than it was worth.

_**AN: This story reached 100 reviews for the last chapter, so I'd just like to thank every single person who has read, alerted, favourited or reviewed this story. Thank you so much, it means so much.**_

_**This chapter is for the Tonks' fans; I know a lot of people wanted me to bring her in. I really hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think about it?**_


	34. Chapter 34: Realisations

"What's that in her hand?" Harry asked quietly. They were visiting Hermione in the hospital wing and Harry could see something in her fist. They were only here really because McGonagall had caught them trying to sneak off to see Moaning Myrtle and Harry had told her they wanted to see their friend. There wasn't really any point in visiting Hermione, she showed no indication of being aware that she had visitors, she just lay there, looking for all the world like a sickening statue.

Ron looked. "It looks like paper. Try and get it out"

Harry leant forward and began to pry her fingers open. It took a while but eventually, the ripped paper sat in his palm. He and Ron both glanced at each other when they realised that it was from a library book. Harry unrolled it and they both leaned forward excitedly to read it.

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

Harry's eyes widened as everything fell into place. The word 'pipes' had been scrawled at the bottom of the page and Harry tapped it absentmindedly. He could barely speak in more than a whisper. "Ron, this is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk — a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue…"

Ron stared at him. Harry ignored him and ploughed on.

"The basilisk kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye. Colin saw it through his camera. The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got petrified. Justin… Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again… and Hermione and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them. Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk. I bet you anything she warned the first person she met to look around corners with a mirror first! And that girl pulled out her mirror — and —" Harry paused, "Mrs. Norris only saw its reflection too – in the water"

Ron's jaw dropped. "But, how's it been getting around the castle? Someone would have seen it…"

"Hermione's figured that out. Pipes…Ron, its in the walls…that's why I can never tell where it is!"

Sudden understanding flickered in Ron's eyes. "Pipes! Harry, what if the entrance is in a bathroom? More specifically, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?"

Harry stared at him. It all fit. He sat there numbly. He could scarcely believe it. "We need to tell McGonagall"

Ron nodded. "Let's go to the staff room, she'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

The bell never rang. Instead, Professor McGonagall's voice filled the hallways, magically magnified. "All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

Harry whipped round to Ron. "Is that another attack? Now?"

Ron stared back at him. "If it is, they still need to know what we've found out"

Harry nodded. "OK. Let's hear what has happened, and then we can tell them what we know." Harry spotted a cloak wardrobe. "Quick, in here"

They both climbed into the wardrobe quickly, watching the teachers file in through the small gap between the doors. They were a complete mix, some looked confused but others looked downright terrified. Professor McGonagall walked in, a worried look on her face. Silence fell in the staff room.

"Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster, right into the Chamber," She announced to general horror. Professor Snape cursed and gripped the back of a chair, not noticing as his fingers slowly turned white. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth and Professor Flitwick nearly fell off his chair.

Professor Snape's voice sounded quite odd when not in its usual growl, but nobody else seemed bothered. Harry assumed that the potions master saved that tone for him. "How can you be sure?"

Professor McGonagall turned to look at him, her face drained of all colour. "The Heir of Slytherin has left another message. 'Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever'"

Snape cursed again as Madam Hooch asked. "Who is it that's been taken?"

"Ginny Weasley," Harry saw Ron's knees give way as he slid down the wardrobe. Professor McGonagall carried on. "The school cannot remain open. We shall have to send the students home tomorrow…"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. Lockhart barged into the room, beaming. He announced that he'd fallen asleep and asked what he'd missed. He obviously didn't notice how the somber faces of all of the Professors changed to fury. Snape stepped forward, obviously enjoying watching Lockhart pale as all of them mentioned that he was the one who could rescue Ginny. That apparently he knew what the monster was, where the chamber was and how to defeat the monster.

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy. Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last."

He looked desperately around the room, but nobody showed the slightest inclination of helping him. The cheesy grin had long since fallen from his face, leaving a rather feeble and weak looking person in its place. "V-very well, I'll — I'll be in my office, getting — getting ready." And he walked out, his cocky swagger long forgotten.

"Right, that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

Ron suddenly broke the silence that had fallen between them. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

Harry nodded. Today had been awful. After everybody had been told about Ginny, he and Ron had sat in the common room, barely saying anything. Ron had mentioned an incident the other day when Ginny had tried to tell them something, but Percy had appeared. Ginny had fled and Percy had got incredibly flustered. Ron had announced that Ginny knew something about the chamber and that was the reason she was taken. Harry was inclined to agree.

Harry couldn't imagine how the Weasleys felt. He didn't have a sister, but he did have Kura, who was like a sister to him. The thought of losing her was like a physical pain. It didn't bear thinking about. Similar, depressing thoughts raced through his mind as they approached Lockhart's office. There was an awful lot of noise coming from behind the closed door. Though, silence did fall as soon as Harry knocked.

The door creaked open slightly. Lockhart peeked out of the tiny gap with one eye.. "Oh – Potter, Weasley – I'm rather busy at the moment"

Harry tried not to let the consternation show on his face. "Professor, we have some information about the Chamber. We think it'll help"

Lockhart shifted awkwardly, but pulled back to open the door. "Well – you see – oh, come in – out with it" Harry and Ron stared around his room. It had been completely emptied. Two large trunks, full of robes and his own books, were open on the floor and boxes littered his desk.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Ron asked furiously. "You're meant to be going after my sister"

"Well, um, I've had an urgent call. I have to go" Lockhart answered quickly, carefully placing his photographs in the boxes.

"And this 'urgent call' is important enough to condemn an innocent girl to death?" Ron snarled.

Lockhart paused. "I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know where the chamber is, or how to get into it"

"Well you're in luck then, because we do" Harry answered quickly. Lockhart literally wilted in front of their eyes.

"B-but – I don't – I've never…"

Harry felt a horrible sinking feeling at his words. Hagrid's words from September came back to haunt him. _If one word of it is true, I'll eat my kettle. _Harry shuddered. "You're a fraud! You never did any of those things in your books, did you?"

Lockhart looked between the two of them. They were both furious. He sighed to himself. "No," He whispered, then his voice suddenly became strong "But I will not have you think that I've done nothing. I've worked hard for this"

Harry scoffed. "You've just been taking credit for what other wizards have done!"

Lockhart shook his head as if he were talking to a small child. "It's not a simple as that. I had to find and interview these people. Then I had to wipe their memories so they couldn't ruin my books. It's not been easy Harry, it's been a lot of work. It's not all book signings and photo shoots"

Now, Harry had been doubtful of Lockhart's supposed heroism for most of the year, but he didn't think that anybody could sink that low. He knew Sirius and Remus didn't like him, but he was sure that even they wouldn't have thought Lockhart would do this. They'd always taught him to see the best in people, but glaring at Lockhart now, he couldn't see it.

He grabbed his wand and pointed it suddenly at the two of them. "Awfully sorry boys, but I'll have to do the same to you. Can't have you two spilling all my secrets. I'd never sell another book – "

Harry shouted "Expelliarmus" before Lockhart had a chance to say the spell. His wand flew out of his hand and out of the window, leaving a rather awkward and feeble looking Lockhart sprawled on the floor.

Harry and Ron both pointed their wands at him. "I think you can come with us, Professor. Lets go"

Moaning Myrtle peered at them all curiously, as if trying to decide why on earth two male students and a professor were stood in front of her. Ron had to stand behind Lockhart to make sure he didn't bolt for the door. Harry knew for a fact that the thought had crossed his mind.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Harry stepped forward. "We want to ask you how you died" Harry said cautiously, hoping that he hadn't offended her.

Myrtle looked rather taken aback. Then she smiled and swooped towards them. She looked like that was the nicest thing anybody had ever said to her. She seemed awfully excited to be telling them her story. "Ooooh, it was dreadful! It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then – I died"

"How?" asked Ron.

Myrtle's voice became hushed. "I have no idea. I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes, over there," she gestured towards the sink in front of her toilet, "My whole body seized up, and then I was floating away… It was quite a strange feeling. And then I came back, to haunt Olive Hornby. Oh," Her face took on a dreamy, thrilled expression, "She regretted the day that she laughed at my glasses"

Harry forced a small smile on his face and then ran over to the indicated sink. He and Ron examined every inch of the sink before Harry found it. There was a tiny snake scratched into the surface of one of the copper taps.

Myrtle cheerfully interrupted the stunned silence that had fallen. "That tap's never worked"

"Harry, say something in parseltongue"

Harry nodded once and looked at the snake. He'd only ever been able to speak parseltongue when confronted with a real snake. He tried to imagine the snake was real. "Open up"

Ron shook his head. "English"

Harry took a deep breath and focused on the snake's eyes. In a certain light, they looked alive. He tried not to shudder as he heard a strange, guttural hissing leave him. The tap started to glow, painfully bright and spin. But it spun downwards and soon it was out of sight. The entire sink quickly followed, leaving a large, man-sized hole behind.

"We actually found it" Ron said, his voice numb with shock,.

"We have to go down there" Harry said. Ron nodded fervently. They couldn't not, not if there was the slimmest chance that Ginny might still be alive. Harry swallowed and bravely stepped forward.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me" Lockhart said, regaining some of his former confidence. Ron was still behind him and he pointed his wand at the defence professor.

"You first"

Lockhart turned back to the opening. He was trembling. "Boys, what good will it do?" Ron poked him again with his wand. He slid his legs into the pipe. "I really don't think – " the rest of his words were cut off when Ron pushed him into the pipe. Ron followed quickly and Harry lowered himself in last. Finally about to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets.

_**AN: I was absolutely floored by the response that the last chapter got. Thank you guys so much. **_

_**I hope you like this chapter. Please leave a review**_


	35. Chapter 35: The Chamber of Secrets

"Look Daddy" Kura squealed, interrupting Sirius' reading of a file from work. He didn't really mind, it was dreadfully boring. He looked up just in time to see his four-year-old daughter running towards him at high speed.

"Calm down. I'm not going anywhere. What have you got?" Sirius asked, smiling as he lifted her onto his lap. She held a piece of paper in her hand. She waved it at him before placing it reverently on the desk in front of them.

"It's us!," She announced. Sirius looked at the drawing. It was clearly a drawing of five individuals, but the individuals didn't look like any person he'd ever seen. "Look, there's Remus," She pointed to the tall person on the end with short brown hair, "Harry, me, you" Three figures of varying height, all with black hair, "Mummy and then the baby – in her arms". Sirius looked closer – he'd thought that was a stone.

"Very good. Though, what's that yellow thing by Remus?"

Kura tried to roll her eyes. "That's Jethro, Daddy".

Now that he knew what they were all meant to be, it was actually quite obvious. The Harry in the picture had two large green blobs on its face for eyes, and the Remus in the picture was even wearing a cardigan. That man practically lived in cardigans. Sirius smiled down at her. He went to speak, but for some reason, his voice came out a choked whisper. "It's beautiful sweetie. Shall we show Remus, and then we can hang it?"

She grinned back and Sirius suddenly realised why he was fighting tears. The picture was beautiful, of his family; but he knew that there were two people missing, two people who he considered to be the founders of his first, true family. Two people that he mourned nearly every day. He looked at Kura again. Two wonderful people that his daughter would never get to meet. He felt his heart twist painfully, yet again. He took a deep breath. What he needed now was to talk to Harry. To reassure himself that not everything was lost.

He swung Kura onto his hip and stood up. "Make sure you've got your picture," He warned as they walked into the lounge. Remus looked up. They didn't have the chance to show Remus the picture. A patronus flew into the room, freezing both Sirius and Remus. A phoenix patronus.

"Sirius and Remus. You are both needed at Hogwarts with utmost urgency. It concerns Harry…and the Chamber of Secrets"

The patronus faded away leaving Remus and Sirius to stare at each other with mounting horror.

OoOoOo

"What do you mean he's in the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius asked, his voice rising ominously with every word. He, Remus and Kura were currently sat in McGonagall's office. Alex was so tired that Sirius had offered to keep the energetic four-year old busy, and so she was currently sat by the window, completely oblivious to what was going on around her. Which was probably just as well. Molly and Arthur were both there, and were both trying not to break down at the thought of Ginny being dead. Sirius was warring with his own grief about that, but his protectiveness over Harry was stronger.

Dumbledore looked at Sirius solemnly. "I am under the impression that both Harry and Ron entered the chamber so that they might have a chance of rescuing Miss Weasley"

Sirius, Remus and both the Weasleys gasped. "I thought there were precautions in place to stop this sort of thing" Remus said.

McGonagall spoke up. "There were. It would seem that Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are rather good at sneaking around the castle. And no-one was going to stop them, Lockhart was with them"

Sirius saw Remus' lips move, but he didn't hear him. He was so worried about Harry it actually made him feel sick. His head was spinning and his ability to listen to the conversation happening before him seemed to have evaporated. The thought of losing Harry was too much to bear – he was quite sure he'd go mad. He couldn't lose him. He'd promised to keep him safe. He couldn't fail now. It would destroy him. He was vaguely aware of pain in his left palm (he was clenching his fist tightly), but he didn't care. Nothing was more important than his family, and Harry was a key part of it.

He tried to calm his frantic breathing, it felt like there were shards of glass in his lungs. Or maybe ice. The ice that had driven its way into his chest when he'd been arrested and had never really melted. Remus put a trembling hand on his shoulder. That revived Sirius slightly. Remus was just as worried as he was. He tried to smile reassuringly at him, but he was sure it came out a grimace. Images of Harry's broken body kept floating before his vision, his emerald eyes staring, unseeing. Just like Lily's had. He couldn't see how any of them could still be alive, and the thought was killing him.

There was a knock on the door, but Sirius didn't pay it any attention. He didn't pay attention to anything until he heard Molly screech "Ginny!". Sirius whirled around, not sure what to expect. What he saw was his godson covered in slime, water and blood. He looked exhausted and there was a look of fear in his green eyes, but he was grinning. Sirius wasn't aware of getting to his feet, but the next thing he knew he was pulling Harry into a bone-crushing hug. He didn't think he'd ever let go of the small, messy-haired boy in his arms. He didn't care that his front was now covered in slime and blood, all he cared about was Harry, and that he was safe.

He pulled back slightly and held Harry at arms length. "If you ever do something like that again, I swear I will kill you" He then pulled Harry back into a hug.

"Sirius," Harry choked out, "I can't breathe"

Sirius smiled sheepishly and let go of him. Almost instantly Remus swept him into a fierce hug. Sirius smirked slightly. He felt something tugging on his jacket and he looked down. Kura was stood there, staring up at him with her large grey eyes. There were tears in them. Sirius immediately picked her up and held her close. "What's wrong?"

A single tear fell down her cheek. Sirius reached forward to wipe it away gently. "Is Harry OK? He's covered in blood"

Sirius saw Dumbledore smile at them. "I don't think he's hurt. Shall we check?" Kura nodded and they stepped up to Harry. Kura tapped him on the shoulder from Sirius' arms. He turned around and smiled. He held his arms out for her. Sirius gladly handed her over, looking at Harry with a critical eye, trying desperately to see if he was OK. He seemed to be. Sirius looked at Remus. he knew what he was thinking. There was a story here.

OoOoOo

Sirius sat in stunned silence. He knew that Harry was a magnet for trouble, but even he'd never thought that Harry could find this much. And Voldemort. The bastard. Could he not leave them alone? But one thing still intrigued him. Apparently, it still intrigued Dumbledore too.

"There is still one question that remains unanswered. My sources inform me that Voldemort is still in Albania, so then how did he manage to cause so much damage?"

Harry smiled at the headmaster and Sirius knew then that was the reason why he'd stopped his story. Sirius was quite glad. He didn't think he could take any more stress today.

"It was this diary. He said Ginny was in a trance, and she only did those things because he told her to" Harry said quickly, holding up a wet, black diary that had a large hole in it. Sirius looked at it piercingly. He had a feeling that there was more to it than met the eye. Dumbledore took the diary and narrowed his eyes at Sirius.

"A trance? Is that – is that meant to mean he possessed her? Because Ginny can't have…" Arthur choked out, gripping Ginny's shoulders tightly.

Sirius spoke in a dull voice. "Nothing about that bastard would surprise me. He doesn't have limits like normal people"

Dumbledore spoke slowly, in an oddly quiet voice. "Quite. Rather brilliant though… to enchant a diary to fulfill Tom's wishes, at any cost. It nearly brought us all to ruin"

Remus interrupted. "But then, the diary, has Ginny been writing in it?"

She let out a loud sob and nodded at him. Sirius felt his skin go cold at the ease with which Voldemort had gained control.

"Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!" Arthur said, absolutely stunned.

"I can't imagine she found it by accident. It was probably given to her deliberately," Sirius said slowly.

"Deliberately?" Molly half shrieked. "Who would give something to a child that could cause this much trouble?"

"There are plenty of sick people out there Molly. It wouldn't surprise me if it was somebody who wanted to discredit one of you" Sirius said, wincing slightly as he remembered he was in a room with four children. This conversation was rapidly deteorating.

Dumbledore seemed to realize that too. He interrupted in a firm but kind voice. "Enough" He sent Sirius a glare. "Thanks to Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, there has been no lasting harm. Madam Pomfrey is currently giving out the mandrake draught. I think Miss Weasley ought to go to the Hospital Wing, if your parents and brother could go with you"

Ginny stood up, tears still coursing down her pale face. Dumbledore obviously noticed. "There will be no punishment Ginny. Lord Voldemort has bewitched far older and wiser wizards than you. You are not to blame for any of this"

She smiled slightly and briefly, while Arthur nodded at the headmaster and Molly threw herself at Harry, thanking him for rescuing her daughter. As soon as the Weasley's left, Sirius turned to Harry.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Harry was holding his arm at an odd angle. Fawkes made a strange cawing noise behind him.

Harry blanched and moved his arm. "Nothing, nothing's wrong with my arm"

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Harry, its painfully obvious when you lie. There's no point in even bothering. I won't be angry"

Harry looked straight at the four adults left – Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Just remember that I'm perfectly fine now…"

"Right…"

"Well, when I stabbed the basilisk… it's tooth sort of, bit me" Sirius let out a strangled cry. Harry carried on. "But I'm totally fine. Fawkes healed it"

Sirius got up and pulled him into a fierce hug. His worry, which had abated when Harry walked into the office, returned with such force that it nearly knocked him off his feet. He glanced at Remus. It was painfully obvious what he was thinking. Harry was too reckless. He thought that Harry would have learned that it was a bad trait to follow last year. Guess not.

Dumbledore interrupted the silence. "You know Minerva, I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

McGonagall looked at him briefly, as if checking his sanity, and then walked out of the office, sparing a small wave for Kura.

"I wonder, could you two gentlemen give Harry and I a moment? I wish to speak with him"

Sirius nodded and beckoned Kura. However, before he could pick her up a large patronus shaped like a dog raced into the room. It stopped in front of Sirius.

It spoke in Alex's voice. "Sirius! You need to come home – the baby's coming!"

_**AN: So, I don't know if I'll be able to get next week's chapter up on time – this might be the last one for a while. I have tons of coursework; I'm trying to arrange summer volunteering and a holiday to Hawai'i. Urgh. I'll do my best though, because the thought of all you guys waiting for the next chapter is what's keeping me going. Please leave a review?**_


	36. Chapter 36: Matthew Sirius Black

_**As somebody reminded me the other day, I do not own anything, apart from Alex, Kura and the baby. But yeah, this chapter features a lot of direct quotes from the book. I've tried my best to change around some of them, but honestly, I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. Enjoy**_

Sirius left the office in a panic, a grin on his face. He told Remus to bring him and Kura to St Mungo's in a couple of hours and then he left, practically throwing himself out of the door in his haste. Remus took Kura for a wander around the grounds, leaving Harry with the headmaster. The old man smiled lightly and gestured towards the armchairs by the fire. Harry sat down nervously, not quite sure what to expect.

The headmaster wisely didn't mention the baby. While Harry had stopped being jealous a long time ago, and was actually quite excited, it was probably wise not to push it. Instead, his eyes twinkled down at Harry as he said, "Harry, I want to thank you. Only true loyalty to me would have called Fawkes to you"

Fawkes fluttered down onto Dumbledore's knee, clearly looking for attention. The headmaster obliged as Harry smiled awkwardly. "So, you met the young man that was Tom Riddle. I imagine he most curious about you…"

Harry grimaced. "You could say that" He could still see Riddle in front of him, Harry's wand in a pale hand. He shuddered. "Professor, Riddle said that we were alike. He said there were strange likenesses…"

Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully "Did he, now? And what do you think, Harry?"

Harry's voice was stronger and louder than he meant it to be. ""I'm nothing like him! I mean, I'm a Gryffindor, I'm…" He trailed off, doubts from the sorting beginning to resurface. He'd completely forgotten Sirius' words from last year. "Professor, the sorting hat told me I'd have done well in Slytherin. I can even speak Parseltongue"

Dumbledore looked at him quite calmly. "Harry, you can speak Parseltongue, because Lord Voldemort can speak Parseltongue. There seems to be a connection between the two of you that I cannot quite fathom. Unless I'm mistaken, he transferred some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar"

Harry stared at him, absolutely flabbergasted. "Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?"

"Not something he intended, I'm sure"

Harry looked at the headmaster sadly. "So I should be in Slytherin"

"And yet, the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. While I cannot deny that you possess many qualities that Salazar Slytherin himself prized – determination, resourcefulness, his own rare gift of Parseltongue, and a certain disregard for rules" His eyes twinkled as he smiled at Harry. "You also possess Gryffindor's favoured traits in buckets, and the hat chose to put you there. You know why that is. Think"

"It only put me in Gryffindor, because I asked not to go in Slytherin…Just like Sirius"

Dumbledore beamed at him. "Exactly Harry. Knowing your godfather as you do, would you not agree that he is a Gryffindor through and through?"

"Well, of course!"

"It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. You chose to be in Gryffindor, which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."

He gestured towards the sword that Harry had stabbed the basilisk with. He turned it over, watching as the rubies created patterns on the wall. And then he saw the name. _Godric Gryffindor_

Dumbledore moved back over to the desk. "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry. Now, I suggest you go to the feast. I'll ask Remus and your rather sweet sister if they'd like to come, as they're already here" Harry smiled as Dumbledore said sister. He really did think of her that way. "I shall write to Azkaban – we need our gamekeeper back"

Harry nodded and moved towards the door. It swung before he got there, with great force.

A furious Lucius Malfoy was stood in the doorway. Harry looked at the house elf that was trying to polish his shoes. It was Dobby. The elf that had visited him in the summer, and in the hospital wing after he and Sirius had made up. The same elf that had blocked the barrier at platform 93/4, and had set the rogue bludger on him. He looked utterly wretched.

"Ah, good evening Lucius" Dumbledore said cheerily. Only Harry noticed the slight chill behind his twinkling blue eyes.

He strode into the room. "So, you have come back. All 12 governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return" He said coldly, barely managing to control the fury in his voice.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Well, you see, Lucius, the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Harry felt slightly awkward as Mr. Malfoy stepped forward menacingly, his grey eyes glaring furiously at the headmaster. "So — have you stopped the attacks yet? Have you caught the culprit?"

Dumbledore glanced at Harry. "We have"

If Mr. Malfoy was shocked, he didn't show it. He spoke sharply, "Well? Who is it?"

Dumbledore suddenly turned serious again. "The same person as last time, Lucius. But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He showed him the small black book and watched him closely. Harry saw Dobby out of the corner of his eye. The elf pointed at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hit himself on the head with a tiny fist.

"I see"

Dumbledore spoke in a level voice, maintaining eye contact with the elder Malfoy. "A clever plan, because if Harry here and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…" Mr. Malfoy glanced at Harry and then back to Dumbledore, his face showing no emotion at all. "And imagine, what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pureblood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggle-borns… Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…"

"How very fortunate"

"One wonders how Miss Weasley came across the diary in the first place, why, Mr. Black seemed to think she was given it"

It all fell into place then. Harry nodded at Dobby as Mr. Malfoy said, "Given it? Who would give a foolish, little girl that?"

"You would" Mr. Malfoy turned to stare incredulously at Harry. "You did. That day in Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her transfiguration book and slipped it inside, didn't you?"

Mr. Malfoy went, if possible, more pale. "Why don't you prove it?"

Dumbledore winked at Harry. "Oh, no one will be able to do that. Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…"

OoOoOo

"Mr. Malfoy!" Harry called as he raced after the blonde man, Dobby's squeals of pain echoing through the corridor. It made him all the more determined. "I've got something for you"

He handed him Tom Riddle's diary. But it wasn't just the diary. As he'd ran from Dumbledore's office he'd pulled one of his socks free. He'd made sure to pick the slimiest and bloodiest one. Mr. Malfoy tore the sock from the diary and threw it to the side. He looked up at Harry maliciously and furiously. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter. They were meddlesome fools, too."

He turned around and stalked away. "Come, Dobby. I said, come."

But Dobby didn't move. He was holding Harry's sock in his hands, and he was looking at it almost reverently. When he spoke, it was in a voice of pure astonishment. "Master has given Dobby a sock. Master threw it, and Dobby caught it. Dobby is free!"

Mr. Malfoy stared at the elf, completely frozen in shock. Then he threw himself at Harry, hissing, "You've lost me my servant"

Dobby stepped in front of him before Mr. Malfoy could reach him. "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"

There was a bang and Mr. Malfoy was sent crashing down the corridor. He climbed to his feet, righted his cloak and turned to Harry, his face contorted in fury. He drew his wand, but Dobby was there once again. He raised a single finger. "You shall go now. You shall not touch Harry Potter"

Mr. Malfoy shot the both of them an incensed glare, and spun on his foot, his cloak flying dramatically. He stalked away, muttering furiously under his breath. As soon as he had gone, Dobby turned around to face Harry.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!"

Harry grinned at him. "Least I could do, Dobby. Just promise never to try and save my life again."

Dobby's brown face suddenly split into a sheepish grin.

OoOoOo

Harry couldn't help it. He grinned. The feast had been brilliant. Everybody but the professors had been in their pyjamas and it had gone on all night. Which was why he was exhausted now. He, Remus and Kura were sat in a small waiting room at St Mungo's. Kura had fallen asleep next to him and he wasn't doing much better.

"I'm bored. Why did we have to leave the feast if we were just going to come here and wait?" Harry asked. He was well aware that it had been a whine, but he didn't particularly care.

Remus smiled tiredly. "We left the feast because people were starting to fall asleep in their pudding. And I thought if you stayed any longer, your ego might grow to such proportions that it wouldn't fit through the door"

Harry snorted. "That is so not true"

"Harry, you were praised by nearly every person on the staff – and most of the students. You and Ron practically won the house cup yourselves. All for something that, personally, I think was rather stupid"

"You think me saving Ginny was stupid?"

"I didn't say that. The stupid part was going down there – with no real help, even when you knew what was down there, and how dangerous it was. You had the mirror, why didn't you tell Sirius or I? Or McGonagall?"

Harry looked down at his shoes. It seemed so obvious now. "I didn't think of that. We went to tell Lockhart – we thought that he was going down there. And then, things just…sort of happened"

Remus took a deep breath. "I understand Harry. I just want you to understand how stupid and reckless what you did was. It is not a good trait to have"

"Sorry" Harry muttered. He hadn't felt the slightest bit sorry for what he'd done, but Remus had a way of making you feel guilty about anything. It wasn't fair, Harry mused. Between him and Sirius, he often felt like the worst person in the world. He was sure that was not their intent, but he still felt like it.

Remus smiled and put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "I love you kiddo, even if you are stupidly reckless"

Harry grinned. Remus always seemed to know what he needed, much like Sirius. He was so lucky to have been raised by them. He rest his head contently on Remus' shoulder, muttering, "I love you too"

Harry didn't realise he'd fallen asleep until Remus poked him gently awake. Sirius was stood in front of them, a broad grin on his face. He gently woke Kura up. "It's a boy. You have a little brother. Do you want to come and see him?"

Kura nodded enthusiastically and jumped off her seat. Harry remained seated, watching Sirius pick Kura up calmly. He looked at Harry. "That means you too"

Harry shook his head. "It should just be family first. I'll wait out here with Remus"

Sirius frowned and knelt down before him. Kura was oddly quiet in his arms, just staring at him with her big, grey eyes. "Harry, you are my family. You are all my family"

Harry smiled and let Remus pull him to his feet. He followed after Sirius, feeling strangely nervous. A tiny, new person was waiting. Someone who he'd watch grow. Someone he'd love. It was with a strange feeling of nerves and excitement that Harry entered the room.

Alex was lay in the bed, looking exhausted, but overjoyed. She smiled at Harry and patted the bed next to her. Harry nervously sat where he was told, smiling slightly as Sirius placed Kura in his lap. He didn't need Sirius to say anything as he handed Harry the small blue bundle, who obediently lowered it so Kura could see.

"Meet Matthew Sirius Black"

Harry peeked over the rim of the blue blanket. A small, red, scrunched up face filled his vision. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen anything so beautiful before. He was perfect. Thin wisps of chocolate brown hair covered his head. He opened his mouth and yawned. Kura giggled.

"He's got no teeth Daddy"

Sirius smiled. "Those will come later – when he's older"

Harry couldn't take his eyes of the baby in front of him. He couldn't understand how he'd ever hated this tiny, innocent person. He looked up at Sirius, who grinned. "He's beautiful". The baby shifted in the blanket, sticking just one arm out. Harry knew what to do. He put his fingers close to the baby's and gently stroked his palm. He clenched his entire hand around Harry's little finger. Harry felt tears prick at his eyes. He smiled at the baby. "Welcome to the world Matthew Sirius"

_**AN: So, sorry for the wait. Year two is now over. Woo! I hope you guys have enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought of it?**_

_**Now, I don't know when the first chapter of year three will be up, but hopefully, I'll have finished some of my work this week, so it shouldn't be too long. I plan on writing loads over Easter so I can keep up, so my schedule shouldn't be too screwed up too much.**_

_**Please leave a review?**_


	37. Chapter 37: Babies, bedrooms  birthdays

Remus Lupin cursed. Loudly. They'd converted the attic into a bedroom, which Harry had rather gleefully volunteered to take, and now it was Remus' job to decorate it. In all honesty, Remus had volunteered to do it, to let Sirius spend more time with his son. Only now he wasn't feeling so charitable. He'd stubbed his toe on the doorframe and while he was hopping about in agony, he'd managed to step into the tray of paint. Not just step though, he'd caught the corner of the tray, and the red paint had gone everywhere. That is, everywhere it wasn't meant to go. The walls were still perfectly white. He sighed. The same wasn't true of the carpet, or of the top that he was wearing. Harry chose that exact moment to stick his head through the door.

"Are you – er – alright in here?" He asked, taking in the sight of Remus still clutching his toe and the red paint on the floor.

"Not particularly. The paint and I seem to have had a disagreement. A large one. That ended in throwing things"

Harry raised his eyebrows and nodded. "I can see that. Though," He glanced back down the stairs, "Do you think you and the paint can overcome your argument? Alex's mum and dad are here, and they're making me want to vomit. I think Sirius feels much the same, but as they're his in-laws, and his son they're cooing over, it was only right that he stayed"

Remus smiled slightly. Alex's parents were lovely, but they did have a tendency to go overboard when there was a new baby. It had been much the same when Kura was born. "As long as her mother doesn't insist on coming everyday, I think we'll be fine"

Harry laughed, no doubt at the memory of her mother turning up every day for 2 months. She'd only stopped when Alex had finally snapped at her. "I guess the red paint means you're going to do the Gryffindor crest?"

"In Sirius' words – _Every self respecting Gryffindor needs a crest somewhere, to remind them that they belong in the best house. _Of course, he was only fifteen when he said it, but that is beside the point. I think I have enough artistic talent to manage it, right?"

There weren't many things that Remus liked about himself, but he did like the fact that he was quite artistic. After James and Lily died, he'd spent days making a perfect sketch of the two of them. It was still in his room somewhere, nearly twelve years after they gave their life for their only son. He'd done one of Harry too, the one year old that he could remember so well. In fact, come to think of it, he'd sketched just about everybody who'd died in the war. In a strange way, it had helped him grieve.

"Duh. What's going on the other walls?"

"I thought you could put your posters up. Though I shudder to think of how badly they might clash. Why? Was there something else you wanted to put up?"

"Nope, that's all good. Can I help?"

Remus smiled and handed him a paintbrush. Together, they painted a Gryffindor crest on the wall, and then moved on to the other walls. They must have spent the rest of the day at it, perfectly happy to be spending time with each other, not a care in the world.

OoOoOo

"Daddy, look! He's got my finger" Kura gleefully announced as her and Harry played with the now one month old Matthew.

"That's because he likes you" Sirius told her, trying to stifle a yawn. Matthew hadn't yet gained the ability to sleep through the night, and both Sirius and Alex were exhausted. Remus had been sleeping soundly though – he'd placed a silencing charm around both his and Harry's bedroom. It was handy really, sound got out but no sound could get in.

Kura grinned and turned back to her brother. Remus smiled. Sirius had asked him to be Matthew's godfather, just like he had with Kura. He'd immediately said yes. He turned to Sirius and frowned. "You look like you're about to drop dead"

"Gee, thanks Moony. I'm just tired, but being a gentleman I offered to let Alex have a lie in. which meant that I have to get up"

"You could have left them with me, I can look after a baby you know"

Sirius smiled lightly. "It's hardly fair to leave you with both of them. Kura will get bored in a bit and decide she wants to do something else. She's awfully good at that – changing her mind, that is"

"I wonder who that sounds like?'

Sirius looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "That is totally beside the point"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You might say that now, but you don't mean it. I'm positive that you wouldn't change her for anything"

Sirius scoffed. "Of course I wouldn't. She's my daughter and I love her. More than anything"

OoOoOo

Despite the challenges that come with adding a new baby to a household, everything settled down fairly quickly – something which Remus was quite glad for. For the last two years, Harry had managed to find grave danger at school. Now, Remus had been a member of one of the most notorious group of pranksters at Hogwarts, but they'd never found anything like the danger that Harry had. They'd gone to Hogwarts while the war was raging around them, but they'd never been in any where near the amount of danger that Harry frequently found himself in. It wasn't all down to the dark forces that were after the boy as well. He was just like his godfather – the good and the bad.

"He just needs to learn not to act on the reckless side of his personality. I did, and look where it got me" Sirius said as they sat in the garden, watching Kura chase a laughing Harry around the garden on a toy broomstick that had been her birthday present.

Remus flinched. He always felt a twinge of guilt when those three awful years were mentioned. He knew that it was his fault that Sirius had suffered for so long. In Remus' mind, the fact that he'd been the one to catch the man who framed Sirius didn't make up for the years of hell that Sirius had endured.

"Tell him. Sirius, explain to him why you weren't there for three years, why you get odd looks in public. Tell him about Peter…and Azkaban" Alex said. Remus nodded, he'd thought Harry was mature enough to know the truth for a long time.

Sirius shook his head quickly. "No, he doesn't need to know" He looked straight at Remus as he spoke, and Remus understood. Harry didn't need to know of the history of mistrust between them. He didn't need to know about what Remus considered to be their darkest days. "I haven't told him for the same reason that Remus hasn't told him about his furry little problem. I don't want to scare him. He's been through enough, without having to hear about our dark days too"

Alex shook her head. "I think you underestimate him. He's far more mature than any of us were at his age. He deserves to know"

They couldn't deny that. At his age, Remus' biggest concern was how best to prank the Slytherins, and how to make sure that the rest of the school didn't find out about his furry little problem. Harry's biggest concern was somewhat larger – the maniac who'd started a war and brutally murdered his parents. From what they'd pieced together over the years, Voldemort had then turned his wand on the then fifteen-month-old baby, but something had happened. The curse had rebounded, leaving Harry with a lighting bolt scar and Voldemort powerless. The monster had wanted to kill him ever since. Twice, he'd nearly succeeded. Remus prayed that there wouldn't be a third.

OoOoOo

"Oh for goodness sake. That's cruel, that is" Harry announced as Remus aimed his wand at the patio door. He watched bubbles froth over the glass and slowly fade away.

"Hardly. I haven't done anything remarkably stupid or dangerous in the last few months… unlike some people" Remus answered back languidly, shooting Harry a covert look. Harry frowned, but didn't say anything, which was probably wise. Remus didn't fancy spending Harry's thirteenth birthday lecturing him.

They didn't have to punish Harry very often, but when they did, the two marauders always faced a problem. They couldn't punish him in the way that most parents punished an unruly child. The Dursleys had treated him so badly, that Remus and Sirius were always wary of doing the same. They couldn't bring themselves to spank him, even if he likely deserved it and they most certainly couldn't send him to his room. That normally forced them into coming up with something mind numbingly boring for him to do. Like this summer, Harry had spent three days non-stop tidying the garden. But, as it was his birthday today Remus had agreed to finish his work for him. With magic, much to Harry's irritation.

Harry shot him an annoyed look. "That's not fair. What was I meant to do?"

Remus sighed. "You could have told someone. Like your godfather – who happens to be one of the best aurors in the department. Or me"

"You're great too" Harry replied quietly. "Apart from when you make me wash the windows without magic"

Remus chuckled and threw an arm around Harry's shoulder. Kura led two figures out into the garden before he could say anything. Neville grinned at Harry and the two of them launched into conversation. Augusta placed the present carefully on the table where Harry's birthday cake was. Kura was eyeing it up hopefully. Remus smirked and pulled her into his arms.

"I hope you weren't working out a way to get cake" He said with a laugh.

She pouted at him. "I helped make it you know. I was just checking it was okay"

Remus stifled a snigger. Sirius had let her stir the icing, much to her glee. He was convinced that whenever Sirius had turned his back, she'd managed to steal some. The light dusting of icing sugar around her mouth didn't help her case.

"Well, it does look very good" Augusta said, smiling at the little girl in Remus' arms. Kura grinned back and muttered "fanks", before she spotted Alex making her way out of the house with a large jug of pumpkin juice.

She squirmed in Remus' arms until he let her go. She ran towards Alex, squealing "MUMMY!" as she went. It reminded Remus of a time when he, Sirius and James had been watching a thirteen-month-old Harry while Lily was speaking to Dumbledore. The little boy had been quite happy to play with the three men, but he'd brightened immediately when Lily arrived. Harry had immediately started calling for his "mama", and he didn't stop until she came into the room and picked him up. Remus smiled sadly at the memory.

"You alright Moony?" Sirius' voice interrupted his blank stare into the trees. Remus turned around to stare at him. He smiled lightly at the sight of Matthew in Sirius' arms, his dark green eyes staring at everything.

"I was just thinking" He paused, "about Harry"

Sirius smiled reminiscently, his grey eyes falling on the messy haired 13 year old who was happily talking to Neville and now Hermione, who'd arrived while he was staring into the trees. "Makes you feel old, doesn't it? To think that thirteen years have passed since that tiny baby with the stunningly green eyes joined us. You know, I can still see the look on James' face when he handed me that little blue bundle"

Remus smiled at the memory. James had been nearly giddy with joy and pride as he'd stared at the scrunched up face of his first-born son. Remus had skipped joy and gone straight to awe when he'd seen him. Awe at the perfect, miniature person in his arms. From that moment on, Remus' life had changed. For the next thirteen years, Remus had given everything to ensure the safety and happiness of that little boy. He'd failed once, and the memory of the pain it caused him still haunted him. "Yeah…but you are old"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "We're exactly the same age"

Remus waved his hand flippantly. "Details"

Harry walked over, cutting off Sirius' reply. "What are you talking about? The mischievous glint in your eyes is making me nervous"

Remus laughed. "You… and how you make Sirius feel old" Remus leaned forward to Harry and spoke in an undertone. "After all, he is very old"

Harry snorted as Sirius elbowed Remus in the side. He turned to glare at Sirius, with a look that plainly said 'that's not vey nice'.

"But you're the same age. Calling him old is the same as calling yourself old" Harry said.

Remus looked at him, the spitting image of James. "I am old. I've seen and endured far too much" He winced as the words left his mouth. He'd managed to kill the cheerful mood between the three of them with ten words. What an idiot. He didn't need Sirius' pointed glare to tell him that. he tried to fix it. "Anyway. Enough from me, we're meant to be celebrating. As it is your birthday"

_**AN: The writing is not going well. I'm currently writing both chapter 42 and 43, and not getting very far on either. On the plus side, I have a chapter for Missing Moments that's nearly ready to put up. If I can get to chapter 45 this week then I'll go back to my normal update routine, but if I can't you might have to wait a bit longer. Sorry.**_

_**I've managed to find a minute between writing reports to update this, so please review.**_


	38. Chapter 38: Fire, family and foes

Harry looked up from packing his bag at the knock on his bedroom door. He only had to pack a small bag, but it seemed to be taking him hours. Remus stood in the doorway, an amused expression on his face.

"Leaving your packing until the last minute is probably a bad idea. You're bound to forget something"

"We're only going for the weekend. If I do forget something, I'm sure I'll live" Harry replied flippantly. He checked through his bag anyway, just to be sure. He could still feel Remus' eyes on his back. He turned around, a pair of socks in his hand.

Remus watched him carefully. "Before Neville gets here I best check, have you remembered to pack Finley?"

Harry froze. Finley was the cuddly lion that Sirius had bought him when Harry had come to live with them. The lion was like his comfort blanket, it went everywhere with him until he turned seven. Then he'd realised that he looked a bit silly carrying a lion with him when he went out in public. Even then, he still couldn't sleep without the lion. Sirius had shrunk it when he went to Hogwarts, meaning that he fit perfectly in the pocket on Harry's pyjamas. The presence of the small lion was normally enough to reassure him. Harry looked at the small lion currently sat next to his bag. "I'm thirteen Remus. I don't need a childish toy to help me sleep"

Remus looked at him sadly. "Right. Of course" He paused and a dull crash echoed through the house. "Come on then. I think that crash means that Neville just fell out of the fireplace"

Harry smiled lightly. "I'll be down in a second. I have to find my boots," He said as he threw himself to the floor to look for said boots.

"Your ability to lose things always astounds me. How you could have already lost something in here I don't understand. You've only been in this room for 2 months," Remus said, shaking his head as he left the room.

Just as the sound of his feet on the stairs faded away, Harry climbed to his feet, boots in hand. His green eyes fell on the lion in front of him. He was 13 for Merlin's sake! 13 year olds didn't need toys to help them sleep. It would be childish, and at thirteen he was no longer a child. And yet…

"Harry!" Sirius' voice called, "Are you coming down or not?"

Harry rose and swung his bag over his shoulder. "Coming!" he replied as he clattered down the stairs. The lion still sat on his bed.

OoOoOo

"Remind me again why we aren't using the oven in the tent?" Harry asked as he, Remus and Neville sat around the campfire outside the tent, toasting bread and sausages over the dancing flames before them.

Remus smiled patiently at him. "Because it tastes better this way. And it's more fun than slaving away over the oven"

Harry shrugged. Neville spoke. "Just like last time. When we toasted marshmallows with Mr Black"

Harry smiled at the memory. As their birthdays were only a day apart, Sirius and Remus had taken the two of them camping for the weekend a few years ago. It had been a brilliant holiday. Sirius had taken them fishing and hiking, while Remus had told brilliant stories around the campfire. Harry maintained that it had been one of his best holidays, despite the fact that he'd been to far more exotic places since.

"Seeing as you've known him since you were four, you are allowed to call him Sirius" Remus said softly, his voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.

Neville blushed. "My Grandmother says it's respectful, and that he deserves our respect"

Remus stared into the middle of the fire. "That he does… and so much more"

Harry stared at him shrewdly. Remus had that sad look in his eye that he normally got when he was talking about Harry's mum and dad; and especially their deaths. But they hadn't been talking about James and Lily, they'd been talking about Sirius. Harry knew there was something bad in Sirius' past, but he never really spoke about it. The look of raw grief and horror that would appear in Sirius' eyes whenever it was mentioned normally stopped Harry from asking about it. Didn't stop him being curious though.

Remus shook his head and looked at the two of them. "Anyway, is there anything you want to do tomorrow? I know when Sirius was with us we spent all day carving, but without him I fear I'd probably cut my fingers off"

Neville and Harry both snorted in amusement. "We could go for a hike," Harry suggested, "through the woods"

Harry knew he'd won Neville over as soon as he mentioned the woods. His eyes lit up at the thought of all the strange plants near the campsite. Even Harry was interested. They would likely be captivating and Remus knew enough about Herbology to be able to explain them. Neville smiled.

Remus grinned. "A hike it is then" He handed them a bottle of butterbeer each. "Harry, your toast is on fire"

OoOoOo

Harry's mouth fell open. The broom in front of him was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The ash handle gleamed under the lights. The birch tail was perfectly sculpted for aerodynamic movement. The word _Firebolt _was written on the side in gold letters. Harry stared at the broom in awe. He didn't think it was possible for a broom to be as captivating as the Firebolt in front of him was.

Sirius laughed and grabbed his shoulder, turning him away from the window. "Come on Harry. That broom probably cost more than all of the Slytherin teams put together. I need to get potion ingredients, and we might as well get your robes sorted. We'll have to come back after your book list comes, but we should do what we can now – while there isn't a four year old with us"

Harry laughed and, after sending one last longing glance at the Firebolt, followed Sirius to Gringotts and then to the apothecary. Sirius bought his ingredients, and then took him to Madam Malkins.

"You've grown again Harry. You have to stop doing that. you're going to run out of clothes soon"

Harry looked down. He could see a thin sliver of bright red between the bottom of his jeans and the top of his trainers. He'd only had the jeans for a month. "Sorry"

Sirius grinned. "You'll be as tall as your dad soon"

Harry smiled. He'd grown up with stories of how good his mum and dad were. It was his greatest wish to be like them. Sirius and Remus had told him about their bravery, their kindness and how much they missed them. Harry wished he could remember them, but in their stead, he was glad he had Remus and Sirius.

"Just robes and uniform?" Madam Malkin asked, already putting pins in his sleeves.

Sirius smiled. "Yes. He keeps growing"

"Yes boys will do that. I'll put a large inside seam on them, so you can make them longer" She said, finishing his robes and folding them neatly. She handed Sirius the package and asked him for ten galleons. He happily handed the money over and then swept Harry out of the shop. He led him straight to the ice cream shop.

Harry grinned as Sirius placed a large chocolate sundae in front of him. That man knew him far too well. Sirius sat opposite him, a rum n' raisin sundae in front of him.

"Eat up. If you're going to keep growing, you need energy"

Harry obliged. "So what's your excuse for eating so much? You're definitely not growing"

Harry smirked as Sirius mock glared at him. "How rude. I have a job that requires lots of energy. I'm sure children aren't meant to be this cheeky"

"I'm not a child Sirius"

"You'll always be a child to me. My child," Harry looked at him sharply. "who I've watched grow with a mixture of joy and pride. You're no longer the little boy who used to climb into bed with me when he had a nightmare, but I still love you as much. More probably"

Harry looked at him over his sundae. There was a slight smile on Sirius' face, but his eyes held a certain ferocity that made Harry smile. He truly meant it. Harry couldn't force his voice to be any louder than a whisper. "I love you too"

OoOoOo

It was a few days after the trip to Diagon Alley , and it was one of those horrible, humid days when rain kept randomly splattering on the windows and a thunderstorm threatened. Sirius had been called into work. Remus had fallen asleep in his armchair, his newspaper threatening to fall from his fingers. Harry was trying to avoid writing his History of Magic essay, so he was currently lay on his stomach on the floor, trying to complete a puzzle with Kura.

"We have to start with the edges Kura" Harry said patiently. He resumed his search for the corner pieces.

"But that looks hard. Why bother?" She asked, completely ignoring his words and continuing her attempt at putting the wrong pieces together. Harry shook his head in exasperation.

"So we know where the other pieces fit, and how big the puzzle is. It won't take us long"

She pouted, but helped him gather the edges anyway. The afternoon passed uneventfully as the two of them worked through Kura's collection of puzzles. It wasn't exactly the most interesting way to pass an afternoon, but Harry remained cheerful. He was perfectly content to spend the afternoon with part of his family. It got even better when Jethro wandered in and nearly lost it at the sight of the two of them on the floor. Kura's shrieks of laughter woke Remus as the dog tried to sit on Harry's lap, demanding a fuss. Harry looked at Remus. They both grinned.

"You know, I can still remember the look on your face when Sirius asked you if you wanted to take him home. It was priceless.

Harry grinned at the memory. "I was stunned. I thought you were going to punish me for knocking the glass of milk over and instead you took me out to get a dog. I didn't expect it"

Remus sobered. "You were so scared of us. It nearly drove Sirius mad trying to think of a way to make you less scared"

"Well it obviously worked. I now know that neither of you are remotely scary"

Remus frowned and then looked out of the window. Harry looked at him. There was something that Remus wasn't telling him, just like Sirius. It annoyed him no end to think that they were both keeping something from him. That they didn't think they could trust him with their secrets was like a physical pain. There was a dull rumble of thunder and rain began to pelt the windows.

"I don't like thunder" Kura announced timidly.

"Come here. Its alright," Remus said, gesturing for Kura to come and sit on his lap. "My dad always used to tell me it was just a big dragon flying home. And that he was so big, every time he flapped his wings it would make thunder"

Harry moved to sit by Remus' legs, smiling as Jethro lay down in front of him and rolled over, waiting for Harry to give him a fuss. Harry obliged as a flash of lightning lit the room. Kura spoke again. "So what's the lightening then?"

"The sun reflecting off his scales apparently" Remus replied calmly. He smiled as Sirius walked into the lounge, as did Harry. the smiles fell off their faces pretty quickly when they took in the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Sirius frowned as he pulled his jacket off and aimed his wand at himself, trying to dry his clothes and sopping wet hair. "There's been a break-out from Azkaban"

Harry stared at him, horrified. He knew that Sirius would only be this angry if it was somebody bad. "Who is it?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment, concerned. "Peter Pettigrew"

Remus twitched angrily next to him. Harry turned and saw a look of horror on his usually calm face. He was confused by the anger in Sirius' eyes. "What did he do?"

_**AN: Sorry for the delay. The writing has not been going well – but I do now have enough chapters to update weekly until my summer holiday starts (beginning of June). I plan on writing like a madman over the summer.**_

_**If anybody has any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to ask. Please leave a review**_

_**Oh, and also, for the fans of young Harry, I'll be putting up a new chapter for Missing Moments shortly. I'd love it if you could check it out **_


	39. Chapter 39: Fears and forms

Sirius was shaking, whether from cold or anger he wasn't quite sure. He was furious though. He knew that much. Furious at Peter. How dare he escape? How dare he try to ruin their lives yet again? It made hot fury wash through his veins as he thought of the man that ruined everything running free. He deserved to be in Azkaban for what he had done, what he had done.

"Sirius?" Sirius' head snapped up and he met the light brown eyes of his best friend. There were deep lines on his forehead where he was frowning, but there was concern flickering in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" Lies. Sirius knew it and apparently, so did Remus. He raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I'm angry. How dare he?"

Remus looked down, the sparkle in his brown eyes long since gone. "How did he do it?"

Sirius dropped his head into his hands. "No-one knows. There wasn't any damage to the cell, we're not sure" Peter had been kept in his rat form for the last 9 years, in a small glass cage. Sirius had looked at it when he'd been called to Azkaban – it had been untouched. There wasn't anything about it to suggest what had happened, no scratches on the glass, nothing. Nothing was even out of place. "There are people still looking at it now, trying to figure out how he did it"

"What does he want?" Remus asked quietly, his eyes darting up to meet Sirius'.

"Most of the aurors think he's after Harry" Remus gasped. "I don't think he is. I don't think he's that stupid. Most likely, he's making a run for it. He's probably halfway to Africa by now"

"Africa? That doesn't sound like him. He'd have to deal with bugs then" Remus said, a light smile on his face. It dropped off his face almost instantly, as the seriousness of the conversation hit him again. "So is Harry in danger?"

"We're doing everything we can to reduce the danger, but possibly" Sirius answered quietly.

Remus met his eyes again. "Dumbledore's offer…"

Sirius stared at him. Dumbledore had been asking Remus for years to come and teach at Hogwarts. He'd always refused, saying that he couldn't put Harry through the embarrassment of being taught by one of the men who'd raised him. Sirius knew precisely what he was thinking. The same thought had gone through his own mind. "Harry's safety is the most important thing. It's more important than if he'll be embarrassed"

"Well, that's what I thought. If I can help, I will"

Sirius looked at him. His one true friend. From the look in his light brown eyes Sirius could tell that Remus would do anything for Harry. He'd seen that look before. It was the same look he'd had when he'd told Sirius that he believed him about Peter. It was the look he'd worn whenever one of the marauders was in danger. Sirius smiled bitterly at the thought. There was a time when they would have done anything for Peter too. The thought made him feel slightly sick.

"Do we need to warn him? He's thrown himself into danger for the last two years, but he can't afford to do the same this year" Remus said eventually, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

Sirius looked at him darkly. He knew what Remus was getting at. He'd been warring with himself over that very point ever since he learned of Pettigrew's escape. "I think so – but not the whole story. He doesn't need to know everything. We'll just tell him that a mass murderer has broken out of Azkaban, and that he was a supporter of Voldemort. That should be enough"

OoOoOo

For the first time in years, Sirius dreamt of Azkaban. Cold. Ice cold. That was all he could feel, all he could think about. The kind of cold that seemed to freeze his blood. The kind of cold that seeps under your skin, slowly turning all your organs to ice. The insane screams and mutterings of the other inmates echoed all around him, echoed in his mind. All the people that he'd seen die in the war stood in front of him, dead eyes staring at him accusingly out of dead faces. They loomed closer and closer, and then everything stopped. He shivered violently as the screaming grew louder and the smell of burning grew louder. Something tall and dark moved in front of him, its rotten hands pulling him towards its dark hood. And then he realised. They weren't the inmate's screams he could hear. They were his own.

The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake. He could hear screaming, and it took him a moment to realise that it was coming from him. "Sirius…Sirius…wake up!"

Sirius' eyes shot open. He froze as he realised that Alex was shaking him awake. The sheets were bunched around him like a straight jacket and a cold sweat covered his forehead. He felt awful. He looked questioningly at his wife.

"You were having a nightmare. You were screaming and writhing"

Sirius looked at her. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "I…I was back in Azkaban. I – The dementors were there"

Alex took a deep breath and pulled him into a tight hug, one hand on the back of his head as he trembled. "It was just a dream Sirius, nothing more. You're not in Azkaban now" She paused, "This is because Peter's free isn't it?"

Sirius pulled away from her. She didn't understand. She never had truly understood what Peter's betrayal had done to him. His friends had been his life, and Peter had ripped that away from him. Even if he hadn't gone to Azkaban, it would have likely destroyed him. "That rat ruined everything. He used to haunt my dreams in Azkaban. I could see his smug little face, laughing at me"

Alex looked like she didn't know what to say. Sirius couldn't take the silence, so he stood on shaky legs, pain shooting through his right knee. He limped from the room, his target already in mind. He mounted the stairs, wincing with each step. He pushed the door open and walked into the room quietly. He needed to know that Peter hadn't ruined everything. He tiptoed his way to the bed. Harry was lay on his side, the duvet pulled tight under his chin. Sirius smiled. Harry always slept like that. He was quite sure that Harry would be horrified if he knew how often Sirius did this.

He heard the stair creak behind him, and he whipped around. It was Kura. She stared at him with wide eyes, as if she'd never seen him before. Sirius couldn't blame her. He probably looked as bad as he felt. "What's wrong Kura?" He was horrified to hear his voice come out a croak.

She continued to stare at him. "I had a nightmare. I-I went to find you. You always make the nightmares go away"

Sirius smiled. He'd always been good at reassuring people after nightmares. Pity he couldn't reassure himself. She sniffed and Sirius pulled her into a hug, lifting her into his arms. He limped down the two flights of stairs and carried her into the lounge. He settled in one of the armchairs, muttering reassuring words in her ear. She eventually fell asleep in his arms, and Sirius smiled. He fell asleep himself, not long after her. Remus and Harry found them a few hours later, Sirius' head resting on the top of his daughters, her fists gripping his t-shirt tightly.

OoOoOo

"Harry, I admire your persistence, but I'm still not going to sign your form" Sirius said tiredly. He'd lost count of how many times he'd refused since Harry had found the form. They'd warned him about Peter and he'd looked scared for a moment, before shrugging him off. Sirius was rather worried about him, he was quite sure that Harry was more bothered about it all than he was letting on.

Harry frowned and crossed his arms huffily. He pushed his glasses up his nose and spoke angrily. "Why not? You don't even know he's after me"

"It's called reasonable precaution Harry. If he is after you, it would be a very poor look out if we just let you wander around the village, completely on your own," Sirius answered quietly, "The aurors should catch him soon. And then I shall sign your form"

Harry sighed. "So until you catch him, I have to cower in the castle because you're afraid of him" He snapped.

Sirius looked at him. "Scared? I'm not scared of that rat! He – You have no idea what he's done. How dangerous he is. How close he came to ruining everything"

Harry softened at Sirius' words and he sat down next to Sirius. "No I don't. Tell me"

Sirius paused. He turned to look at Harry. He wasn't a child anymore. Voldemort had ensured that. but Peter had helped. The rat. Harry looked at him intently. Sirius didn't know if it was the way his emerald green eyes sparkled, or in the way his face was set, but suddenly Sirius found himself telling Harry the truth. "Do you remember me telling you once that there were four marauders? Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs" Harry nodded slowly. "Peter Pettigrew was Wormtail. He was our friend, Harry" Sirius ground his teeth together in annoyance. "Not long after you were born, we learnt that Voldemort was looking for your family. They went into hiding. There's a spell called the Fidelus charm, it was cast to keep you all safe. Peter was the secret keeper" Sirius paused as the red-hot fury rushed through him again. He felt tears prick at his eyes. "He betrayed them to Voldemort. He's the reason they're gone Harry"

Harry gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. Sirius continued. "Can you see now why I won't sign your form? If there's even the slightest chance that he's after you… I can't lose you Harry. I won't lose you"

A swift, slight smile spread over Harry's face before a sad expression replaced it. "That's why you haven't been here. You've been working"

Sirius nodded. He'd been working round the clock trying to get somewhere on the Pettigrew case. He'd barely seen anyone for the last week, staggering home in the middle of the night. He was exhausted. "He deserves to be back in Azkaban"

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry I've been so awful. I just… didn't understand"

"I didn't expect you to understand. I just, I couldn't bring myself to explain the whole sorry tale" Well, part of it. he still wasn't going to tell Harry about his own incarceration in Azkaban. At least, not unless he had to. Some stories were best left untold. He didn't need to burden Harry with that.

OoOoOo

Sirius sat in his favourite armchair, cradling Matthew. Kura sat on Sirius' other knee, peering over his arms at the small bundle that was her brother. He stared right back, his dark green eyes watching her every move.

"He doesn't do much Daddy"

Sirius felt a smile tug at his lips. He smothered the urge to give her a sarcastic answer. "Well, he's not very old Kura. He'll be crawling around and talking in no time. And then we'll wish he was back to this tiny thing"

Kura frowned. "Why?"

"Because babies are fast. I remember Harry used to run round the house, completely naked when it was bath time. He didn't like bath time"

Kura giggled loudly and Sirius grinned at the memory. He'd been such a happy child. Not like when he and Remus had taken him in. the poor boy had been afraid of his own shadow. It had taken them weeks to get him to trust them, and months to get him to fully come out of his shell. And even then, he was still different. He was normally very reserved, and though he could be quite cheeky, was quite quiet. Remus had once said that he had James' face but Lily's character. Sirius agreed, but there were times when he wondered how like James he would be if the people who should have raised him had raised him. He didn't regret a single thing about the last nine years where it concerned Harry, but he regretted the events that led to the current situation.

"Sirius, stop it" Alex said, startling Sirius out of his thoughts. He looked at her as she grinned at Kura. She was so beautiful. She was everything he could have hoped for and more. Before Azkaban, he'd never been the settling down with a family type. He'd had a girlfriend during the war, but that had ended badly. After that, he'd been quite happy to be free. To sample all of the pleasures that life had to offer. Azkaban had changed him. All he wanted now was to be with the people he loved most. A wish that, amazingly, had turned out better than he had ever hoped.

"Stop what?"

"Brooding" Sirius opened his mouth, but Alex cut him off. "You have a look that means you're dwelling on that night…and the aftermath. You sort of, get a dead look in your eyes. It's actually quite frightening… It's like, you suddenly become the man that everybody expected to be the murderous raving lunatic"

Sirius gaped at her. He wasn't quite sure what to say to that. he suddenly became aware that both of his children were staring at him. He forced a smile, but was saved replying by Harry and Remus wandering in, Jethro following close behind. Kura immediately jumped off his knee and ran straight to the dog.

"Who's a raving lunatic?" Harry asked. Remus and Sirius shared a look, and then both looked away, trying to conceal their amusement.

"Sirius"

Sirius smiled at the people in front of him. His thoughts almost immediately darkened when they looked away. a raving lunatic. He flinched. It was all down to Peter, every single thing that had gone wrong. And Sirius wanted to make sure he didn't get a chance to ruin anything else.

_**AN: So, not one of my best chapters, I know. I've tried to rewrite it so many times, but honestly I can't anymore. I seem to have developed a block to it. Please let me know what you think, and how you think I could improve it. Please leave a review**_


	40. Chapter 40: Walks and worries

They were scared. It was obvious really. Their eyes followed him wherever he was, and they wouldn't leave him alone. They insisted on at least one of them being with him at all times. It was driving him insane. He fought the urge to rage and shout at them. He knew for a fact that it would get him nowhere. It would probably be counter productive, now that he thought about it. Didn't stop it from being an appealing prospect though.

"Jethro! Come here," Harry smiled as the golden retriever sat in front of him, his tail wagging excitedly as he looked up, and his large eyes glittering. Harry clipped the lead on and stood up.

"Perhaps I should come with you" Sirius said. Harry froze.

"You won't be able to keep up Padfoot. You can barely walk" Remus said. Harry glanced at Sirius, who frowned. His knee had been awful for the last week and a bit. Ever since that day he and Remus had found him asleep in the living room. Harry was sure it had something to do with stress over Peter. Remus carried on. "I'll go with him"

Harry forced a smile. This over-protectiveness was doing his head in. "Come on then. Lets go"

Harry and Remus began their walk, Jethro trotting along excitedly beside them. They walked in silence; Harry resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to have a moment alone all holiday. He understood why they were being so protective, he understood that Peter had ruined everything they held dear. He understood that there was a possibility that the rat was after him, and Remus and Sirius wanted to keep him safe. It was just kind of annoying. Remus seemed to pick up on his thoughts.

"I am sorry for all of this. I know we've probably gone a bit overboard. We just want you to be safe. Even if it means we have to become clingy old men. I couldn't bear losing you. I know Sirius is the same"

Harry smiled lightly. "I understand, it's just… Do you really think he's after me?" Harry blurted out, finally saying the one thing that had been bothering him for days.

Remus looked at him shrewdly. "I don't know. He's not stupid – Sirius doesn't think he will. We can't see what he thinks he would gain. Though some people think that…they think that he's deluded enough to believe that k-killing you would mean that Voldemort would return. But that's not how it works, and Peter surely has enough brains to realise that. I still can't really believe what he did…"

Harry stared at him. He knew he should be bothered by the fact that somebody likely wanted him dead, but he was more interested in the boy that Peter had been. "What was he like? When you were friends?"

Remus looked into the distance. "He was a good friend. When I saw him again, I could hardly believe the monster he had become. It was so different from the kind, sweet boy that I knew at school" Remus shook his head. "I don't think we ever really knew him"

Harry nodded slowly and let his eyes wander. In the middle of rural Devon, Harry had to say he loved it here. Really, they were in the middle of nowhere. The house was about 8 miles away from the nearest town and their nearest neighbours (The Weasleys) were roughly the same. There wasn't even a proper road to their house; it was just a dirt track. And that was how he liked it. Isolated from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world. His eyes fell on something small moving towards them at high speed. It was too far away for him to tell. It looked strange and Harry put his hand in his pocket, tightening his hand around his wand. As soon as it came close enough for him to tell what it was it froze.

It was a rat. Its head kept darting between Harry and Remus. It had a dull brown coat and a long, pink tail. Remus froze next to him and threw out an arm. Harry came to a stop as Remus drew his wand. Before he could move another inch, the rat turned and fled into the surrounding fields.

Harry turned to look questioningly at Remus, who was shaking and worryingly pale as he stared after the rat. Harry touched his arm and it shook him out of his reverie.

"That was… That's it, we're going home. If he's found us here…"

Harry suddenly realised who the rat was. He could remember Sirius telling him about being animagi a few years ago. Peter Pettigrew had to be Wormtail. That meant… Harry's eyes widened and his knees suddenly felt weak. Peter Pettigrew had broken out of Azkaban to find him.

OoOoOo

Harry frowned. He, Ron, Neville and Hermione were searching the Hogwarts Express for a compartment. They weren't doing very well. The only compartment they'd found had Remus in the corner, his head lolling on his chest and his cloak wrapped tightly around his sleeping form. "Can we not find another compartment? I don't fancy sitting with Remus. I love him, and he's awesome, but I don't want to spend the journey to Hogwarts with one of the men who raised me"

"Everywhere else is full Harry. Besides, he's asleep" Hermione said, smiling as Ron helped her lift her trunk onto the rail. They all took seats, Harry next to Remus.

"So, Ron how was Egypt?" Harry asked. The Weasleys had won a ministry lottery of 700 galleons over the summer. They'd gone to Egypt to visit Bill, and Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly jealous of the trip. Merlin knows, they deserved the money and the holiday, but still. Egypt.

Ron grinned. "It was brilliant. Bill took us round all the tombs and stuff. You wouldn't believe all the curses the old Egyptians put on them. There were skeletons with two heads and all sorts"

Ron grinned as Harry's eyes widened. Neville let out an "awesome" and Hermione shook her head, muttering "boys". "Oh Neville, I bought you this in Egypt. I was going to post it, but mum caught me using Errol to send Harry his. Here you go"

Ron rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small, brightly coloured sneakascope, not too different from the one he'd sent Harry. Neville took it cheerfully and thanked Ron. Much to Harry's irritation, the conversation turned to Hogsmeade. Harry shot an irritated glare at the sleeping Remus and then tried to force an impassive look on his face.

"I've read that Hogsmeade is the only non-Muggle settlement in Britain. And that it was important in lots of historical events" Hermione announced. If Harry wasn't so annoyed, he would have been rather impressed by all the effort that Hermione put into just about everything. Instead he settled for looking vaguely interested.

Ron shook his hand impatiently. "No-one but Percy's interested in that. You know, he seems to be in an even fouler mood than normal this summer. Anyway, all I want in Hogsmeade is to go back to Honeydukes"

Ron smiled dreamily and Harry suppressed a smirk at the memory of Ron's face when Sirius had taken them to Hogsmeade after they missed the train last year. The look of ecstasy on his face had been so brilliant that Harry had felt rather bad dragging him away.

Neville's eyes widened. "Is that the sweetshop that Remus took us to ages ago?"

Harry nodded as Neville grinned broadly. Hermione turned to Harry. "There are other things too though, right? Like the Shrieking Shack. It will be good to get out of school for a bit, explore the village. Don't you think?"

"I'd imagine it will. Neither Sirius or Remus would sign my form, so I can't go" Harry replied heavily.

"What? They seem far too c-" Ron started. Hermione interrupted him.

"Shush Ron." She seemed to be warring with herself over whether she should ask the question on her lips. "Is this about Peter Pettigrew? But, they don't know he's after you…"

Harry took a deep breath. "We do. He found Remus and I, when we were walking Jethro"

Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth and Ron and Neville both looked horrified at the thought of a mass murderer being after him. Remus moved in his seat, but remained asleep. Harry sighed with relief. He didn't fancy Remus waking up to see their horrified expressions. The rest of the afternoon passed cheerfully enough, even if the others were still horrified. Remus slept until early evening, and he only woke then because something very strange was happening.

The train had been steadily slowing and then suddenly screeched to a stop, nearly making Ron fall onto Remus. Hermione's new cat, Crookshanks, hissed at the sudden disturbance. Neville climbed to his feet and peered out the compartment door. He reported that trunks were littered all over the corridor, obviously having fallen from where they were stored. Just as he said this, all of the lamps suddenly went out, plunging the entire train into a darkness so thick you could barely see the people sat opposite you.

"What on earth is happening?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged, and then remembered that she couldn't see him. She spoke again as Ron moved to the window. "Ouch Ron. That was my foot"

Ron ignored her. "There's something moving out there. I think someone's getting on the train"

"But why would the lights have gone out then?" Neville asked worriedly. The compartment door slid open. Harry squinted into the darkness and eventually heard Ginny's slightly panicked voice.

"What's going on? Ron, are you in here?"

"Of course I am. Come in and sit down…its kind of cold" Ron answered. There was a thump as Ginny tripped over Neville's foot and found her way to a seat.

"Not here," Harry said quickly, "I'm here" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the space between him and Neville. He moved up slightly as she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" Neville exclaimed softly. She'd obviously done the same to him.

"Quiet!" Remus' voice suddenly exclaimed. Harry had almost forgotten he was there. There was silence and then a soft crackling noise filled the compartment. Remus had a handful of flames as he looked at them all quickly. "Are you all OK?"

He didn't wait for an answer. "Stay where you are". He stepped towards the compartment door, but it opened slowly before he could climb over their legs.

There was a thing in the doorway. It's black cloak hid everything about it as it loomed over them. A piercing coldness swept over the entire compartment. It almost felt like he was being stabbed by shards of ice. The bloods in his veins froze and he shivered. And then it drew a breath, a horrible, rattling breath that made Harry think of drowned things. The cold seemed to get worse. It felt like a shard of ice had replaced his heart.

And then he heard it. Screaming – heart wrenching, terrified screaming. He couldn't see. He couldn't even move. A thick white fog was swirling around him as his eyes rolled back into his head. The cold intensified, and then…nothing. He couldn't see anything, but the screaming continued as he fell into unconsciousness.

OoOoOo

"Harry! Come on, wake up!"

Harry heard the voice, a voice he knew so well and fought to open his eyes. He couldn't see much when he opened them, but he heard sighs of relief fill the compartment. The lights were back on and the dull, roaring sound told him that the train was moving again. Somebody handed him his glasses and the world swum into focus. Ron, Hermione and Neville were all watching him worriedly, Ginny was holding her knees to her chest and Remus was sat next to him, the relief on his face not quite hiding the fear and anger in his brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.

Harry rubbed his face tiredly. He was covered in cold sweat and felt quite shaky. Despite that, he still nodded at Ron and spoke to Remus, his eyes fixed on the now empty doorway. "What happened? What was that thing?"

Remus looked at him shrewdly and then began to rummage through his pockets. "That was a dementor. It was searching the train for Pettigrew"

Now that Harry knew what Pettigrew had done, it was hard to miss the anger in Remus' voice whenever he said the name. He couldn't blame him. There was a loud snap and the whole compartment turned to stare at Remus, who was breaking a large slab of chocolate into pieces.

"Chocolate helps after dementor exposure. It'll stop you feeling so cold" He handed them all chocolate. Harry noticed that his was much bigger than everyone else's, but he felt so awful that he didn't complain. Especially not when he saw the look in Remus' eyes. Remus could be incredibly protective when the mood seized him, and the look in his eyes said that all he really wanted to do was hug Harry tightly. If it weren't for the fact that his friends were there, Harry would have likely thrown himself at Remus. but that wasn't the sort of thing a bloke did in front of his friends, so he settled for eating the chocolate. He felt better almost instantly.

"If you're really alright, I need to go and talk to the driver" Remus said softly, catching Hermione's eye and nodding towards a pale and sobbing Ginny. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere – any of you"

Harry nodded and watched him leave. As soon as the compartment door closed behind him, Harry turned to Ron. He knew that Ron wouldn't try to sugarcoat anything. "So what happened?"

Ron shifted in his seat. "Well, that Dementor thing stood there and looked around, and you – you sort of went rigid and fell off your seat. You started twitching – "

Neville carried on the story. "I don't think I've ever seen Remus like that. He looked scary as he pointed his wand at it. He muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of the end of his wand. It made the dementor go away"

Harry could imagine the look on his face. It was a look he'd only seen a handful of times, but it was so awful that it was ingrained in his memory. He shivered slightly at the memory of how cold it had been. "So what happened to you?"

Ron looked down. "I felt weird. Like I'd never be cheerful again…"

"But, nobody else fell off their seats?" They all shook their heads. "Did anybody else hear the screaming?"

They all stared at him. Hermione answered quickly. "Screaming? Harry, nobody was screaming. The whole train was eerily quiet"

"But I heard screaming" Harry retorted. They were all staring at him as if he were mad. Harry looked away and threw himself into the corner of the compartment, which Remus had so recently vacated. He'd have to talk to Remus about the dementor later. Remus always knew about these things. In Harry's opinion, that was why he'd make such a great professor.

_**AN: So, I hope you like this chapter. I apologise for using quotes from the book in the latter parts of this chapter, I thought they fit well :/ **_

_**Just to say, I saw the Avengers yesterday, and if you don't have plans to go and see it, make some. It was easily the best film I've seen in a very long time.**_

_**Anyway, please leave a review **_


	41. Chapter 41: Hogwarts and heartbreak

Remus forced himself to look away. Staring at the empty seat next to Neville was just making him worried. And to be honest, his nerves were frayed enough. The slightest nudge and he was quite sure that he'd unravel completely. It always amazed him quite how much worry Harry could cause him. He was quite sure that not a day had gone by that he hadn't been worried in some way or the other. He was sure it wasn't good for his health. The problem was that Harry seemed to attract trouble just by breathing. Dark Lords, murderers and foul creatures all seemed to want Harry. It was enough to turn a person into a blubbering mess. And yet, it didn't seem to bother Harry. If Remus weren't too busy with being worried, he would have been so proud of the way that Harry was handling things.

All sorts of horrifying images were racing through his mind as he found himself staring, yet again at the seat where Harry should be sat. As someone who'd grown up during a war, he couldn't help but think the worst of his absence. And that thought was killing him.

He wasn't aware that he was gripping the edge of the table with such force that his knuckles turned white. He was only vaguely aware of the splintering noise as he gripped too hard, and the stabbing pain that meant that shards of wood were now embedded in his hands. All that mattered was Harry. And why he wasn't there. He'd gone through enough worry today, courtesy of the dementors, he didn't need anymore.

And then three figures appeared in the doors to the great hall. Even from a distance, Remus could recognise the messy haired, bespectacled boy that he thought of as a son. He almost laughed with relief as he watched him walk to the Gryffindor table. Harry caught his eye and smiled at him. Remus smiled back, tension literally melting out of his body. He noticed the searing pain in his hand then. There was a large splinter in the middle of his palm, and blood was pooling in his hand. He gritted his teeth, pulled the splinter out with a hiss of pain and ran his wand over the cut.

Professor McGonagall took the empty seat next to him. "There was no need to be worried. He was only with me"

Remus smiled bitterly. "I always worry about him. He attracts far too much attention for me not to worry"

Minerva smiled at him. Remus smiled back, letting the smile fall as the memory of all the times Harry had been in trouble filled his mind. There were far too many examples of that. he didn't think he'd ever really stopped worrying about him ever since he and Sirius had taken him in. something always seemed to be going on.

Dumbledore interrupted Remus' thoughts. "Welcome!" He said, beaming down at the students. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"

The smile fell from his face and he stared out at the students solemnly. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

He paused. Remus ground his teeth in annoyance. He hadn't been happy about the presence of dementors before today, but now he was downright furious. Harry would be the first of many to collapse in their presence. It would be chaos. A dark, tortured chaos. The thought filled him with equal amounts of horror and fury. He didn't understand why the ministry thought their presence necessary – Peter had already got past them once, how did they know he couldn't do it again? Dumbledore continued.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks," Remus glanced at Harry shrewdly to see him share a look with Ron. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said.

Remus saw Percy straighten in his seat and puff out his chest. The red head surveyed the hall impressively. Remus stifled a snigger, but he caught George's eye and they both had to look away. He was slightly concerned about teaching the twins, truth be told. He'd known them for far too long to think that they would behave in his class, and while the marauder side of him would probably want to laugh at their antics, he knew, as a professor that he wouldn't be able to do that. That was one of many things this year that would undoubtedly cause him headaches.

Dumbledore continued. "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Polite applause followed his words from most of the hall, but not the Gryffindor table. Fred and George both cheered loudly, the rest of the house, spurred on by the twins, applauded thunderously. Harry wolf-whistled amid the cheering. Remus tried not to blush at their applause. He ignored Snape, whose dark gaze was currently burning a hole in the side of his head, and focused on smiling softly at the Gryffindors.

Dumbledore continued as the clapping died away. "As to our second new appointment, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."

There was tumultuous applause from the Gryffindor table again. Hagrid, who was sat two seats away from Remus, was blushing bright red and grinning broadly. Remus smiled. If anyone deserved this, it was Hagrid. Remus had known for a while, but he'd done as Hagrid had asked and kept his mouth shut. Though he'd very nearly said something when Harry had been sent that manic book. Sirius had bound it shut with a large belt, after it had bitten his hand. He'd told Remus darkly that he'd be talking to Hagrid about it.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance, let the feast begin!" The golden plates before them filled with food at his words. There was a general murmur of appreciation and everybody dove in. Remus spent most of the time that he was eating thinking darkly about the damage that Peter had caused. He swore that he'd never been this much of a worrier before.

Remus was too caught up in his own dark thoughts to pay any attention to the end of the feast or the thunderous noise of the students filing out of the Great Hall. It took a hand on his shoulder to startle him to awareness. Dumbledore was stood behind him, the candlelight reflecting off his half moon glasses. He was smiling.

"I assume you told Sirius about the events that transpired on the train?" Remus nodded slowly. As soon as he'd assured himself that Harry was okay, he'd sent a patronus to Sirius. Sirius would have been furious if he hadn't found out straight away. Dumbledore continued. "I fully expect a visit from Mr. Black this evening"

Remus winced internally. He wouldn't be surprised if Sirius was already here. "He'll want to see Harry"

"Indeed," Dumbledore looked away. "But I think Mr. Potter would appreciate a private word with you first"

Remus followed Dumbledore's gaze. Harry's emerald green eyes were watching from where he stood, casually leaning against the doors to the Great Hall. Dumbledore smiled at him. Remus nodded at the headmaster and walked down to Harry. Remus placed an arm around his shoulder and led him to a nearby classroom. He turned to face him.

"Is something wrong Harry? What did McGonagall want?"

Harry shrugged. "To check if I was okay, because somebody sent them an owl, telling them what had happened" Harry looked at Remus shrewdly.

He shifted awkwardly. "They needed to know what had happened Harry. It means Dumbledore can protest them being here with actual evidence"

Harry's eyes widened. "He doesn't want them here? Why?"

"I should think that was obvious Harry. Look at the effect they had on you. They do that to everybody"

Harry scowled and folded his arms angrily. "No they don't. Nobody else fainted. Nobody else heard…"

Remus felt his insides go cold. He'd worried about this ever since a four year old Harry had told him about his nightmares. "Heard what? Harry, what did you hear?"

Harry looked up. "Screaming… It was a woman"

Remus' eyes widened in horror. He knew exactly who that scream belonged to. He looked at Harry sadly. No one should have to hear that. "Oh Harry" Remus pulled him into a hug. Harry stood surprised for a moment, and then hugged him back.

Harry's voice was slightly muffled when he replied – his head was still resting on Remus' shoulder. "I don't understand. What…"

Remus pulled away tiredly. "Harry, dementors are the foulest creatures that walk our earth. They force to relive our worst memories. They live on every happy memory you have, until you're left with only painful memories"

Harry's eyes widened slowly as he realised what he meant. "So… it was my mum? I heard her die?"

Remus closed his eyes, trying to fight down the tears pricking at the back of his eyes. "Now you know why neither Sirius or I wanted them here" Harry's eyes filled with tears. Remus pulled him into another hug. "Not a day goes by, Harry, that I don't wish they were still here. They loved you so much"

Harry sniffed softly. Then he smiled sadly. "Are we allowed to use the floo in your office? I want to talk to Sirius?"

Remus smiled at him. It always warmed his heart to think about how much Harry depended on them. How close they were. "Sirius is, but there's no need. I think he's already here, shouting at the headmaster"

Harry blanched. "Again? He always seems to be shouting at the headmaster. Can I go and see him?"

Remus looked at him. The colour hadn't quite returned to his cheeks after the dementor, and he was shaking slightly. There was a heart broken look in his eyes. "Yeah, come on. I'm meant to take you to Dumbledore's office"

Harry nodded sadly and let Remus sweep him out of the classroom. He watched Harry worriedly as they made their way up to the headmaster's office. He didn't look well, but Remus knew that he'd look better after a good night's sleep. Chocolate could cure most dementor exposure, but Harry had been affected more than most. He knew that if Madam Pomfrey had her way, he'd probably already be in the Hospital Wing. Remus would agree, but he knew that Harry needed reassurance more.

Remus muttered the password and they both climbed on to the rotating staircase. Low sounds of conversation met their ears. Remus raised an eyebrow. It didn't sound like any body was shouting. He knocked on the door.

The door swung open. Sirius was sat opposite Dumbledore, but as soon as the door opened, he rose to his feet. Harry practically threw himself at the older man. Sirius smiled as he placed a hand on the back of his head. The smile was quickly replaced by a frown when he noticed Harry's trembling and the way one of his hands was gripping Sirius' shirt tightly. Remus rubbed a hand over his face.

Sirius looked down at Harry's head. "Hey. What's all this about?" He looked up at Remus, who nodded and sighed tiredly.

Sirius glared at Dumbledore. "See what they've done? I told you it was a bad idea to have them here" He walked backwards, leading Harry to a seat.

"I don't want them here any more than you do, but the ministry has overruled me" Dumbledore replied calmly, with the air of a man who had already said the same thing numerous times that night.

"You're Albus Dumbledore! Since when do you do what the ministry wants?" Sirius retorted angrily.

"I don't get a choice in the matter. Cornelius told me the dementors were going to be here, no questions. He's the Minister for Magic, Sirius. What he says goes"

Remus spoke up. "Why does he want them here? Peter's already slipped past them once; surely he could do it again. Professor, he's a rat. For all we know, he could be here as we speak, hiding in the dungeons, or in the walls"

Sirius glanced at him. Dumbledore replied. "I believe he wants to maintain the appearance of action"

Remus sighed loudly. "How many students is he going to put at risk by keeping up his appearance?" He asked sarcastically. That man had always been able to annoy Remus, but now it had gone too far. Harry was a mess, and sadly, he was probably the first of many.

Dumbledore shook his head. "We are doing everything we can, but…"

There was a note of dismissal in his voice. Remus nodded politely, and Sirius sent him an annoyed glare, before bidding him goodbye. He pulled Harry to his feet, and let Remus lead them to his office. Sirius pushed Harry into one of the seats, and then turned to Remus.

"What's happened to him? Why is he a mess?"

Remus looked at Sirius. "He told me he heard screaming before he passed out. He knows whose screams they are"

Sirius' mouth fell open. "Merlin" He breathed, before turning to Harry. The boy was clearly fighting with tears, but even as they watched, a tear spilled over and began to trace down his cheek. Remus watched sadly as Sirius walked over and crouched down in front of him. He said something to him, too quietly for Remus to hear. He didn't particularly mind, Sirius had always been better than him at reassuring Harry.

After about five minutes, the two of them stood, Sirius pulling Harry into a hug. Harry looked over and smiled at Remus. Sirius spoke to Remus over Harry's head. "Can you walk him back to his dormitory? I hate to think of what Snape would do if he caught Harry in the corridors"

Harry and Remus both shuddered at the thought. "I think he might actually smile"

Harry looked at him. "There's a scary thought"

The three of them laughed. Remus smiled at the sound. Harry's laugh had always made him feel better. He knew, from the way that Harry's eyes sparkled, that it improved Harry's mood too.

_**AN: I didn't expect to get this chapter up today – I was in the ER yesterday. I'm fine now, it was more precaution than anything, but I thought you guys deserved a chapter. Please review? They never fail to make me smile **_


	42. Chapter 42: Hippogriffs and Hatred

"What was that oaf thinking? Bringing a dangerous beast to our lesson?" Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice demanded as the Gryffindors and Slytherins walked back to the castle after a rather disastrous care of magical creatures lesson. A few of the Slytherins nodded in agreement.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" Neville said, much to the surprise of nearly everyone else, so much so that Zabini nearly walked into Pansy's frozen form.

"What would you know about it Longbottom? You spent most of the lesson cowering behind Finnegan and Weasley" Pansy snapped back waspishly. Crabbe and Goyle both guffawed slowly. Neville flushed bright red and fell into step on Ron's far side.

"Leave him alone" Harry snarled, "Neville's right though, if Malfoy hadn't been too busy talking to you, it wouldn't have happened"

"Oh, shut up Potter" Goyle grunted. Harry turned to glare at him.

"What a witty response" Harry said sarcastically, smiling when he heard Ron and Dean snort with amusement.

"Well it's not like you know everything, is it?" Zabini said. Pansy smirked viciously at the Gryffindors and added, "Especially about Pettigrew"

Harry's eyes widened involuntarily. Sirius had said he'd told him everything. Zabini and Crabbe both smirked at him as the Slytherins walked away, sniggering all the way up to the Hospital Wing.

Harry was quiet as they walked back to the castle, barely listening to Ron and Hermione bicker. He was thinking. In fact, he was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice as he nearly walked into Ginny. Hermione dragged herself away from her argument with Ron for long enough to notice Harry's distraction.

"Harry, are you OK? You've been awfully quiet since you argued with the Slytherins?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine" Harry replied quietly. He winced almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. He was fooling nobody.

"Oh Harry, you're not still thinking about what Parkinson said, are you?"

There was a pause as they clambered through the portrait hole. "No" Harry replied quickly. Hermione raised her eyebrows. Harry sighed. He hadn't convinced anyone. "When Sirius told me about Pettigrew in the summer, I got the feeling he wasn't telling me everything, but…"

"And why would the Slytherins know what it was? Slytherins lie Harry" Ron interjected.

"But I'm sure I don't know the whole story!"

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for that. Has Sirius ever given you reason to doubt him before?" Hermione asked calmly. Harry shook his head. Sirius had given him everything.

Harry followed Ron into the dormitory, still thinking about Sirius. He had no right to suspect the man who'd given him so much of lying to him. "I'm sure there's something about Sirius that I don't know. What if the Slytherins do know?"

"I dunno mate," Ron said. He chucked his bag onto his bed and then turned around. "Bloody hell Hermione, what are you doing in here?"

Harry spun around to see Hermione standing awkwardly inside the door. "Well, we were talking. And girls are allowed in the boy's dormitory. Have you not read Hogwarts: A History?"

Harry and Ron shared a look. They both replied at the same time. "No"

OoOoOo

"Hot Chocolate Harry?" Remus asked as Harry took a seat in Remus' new lounge. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I thought you might have had enough of tea today?"

Harry groaned in annoyance. "So you heard about that?"

Remus smiled at him. "Minerva told me"

Harry grimaced. Remus was of course referring to Harry's first divination lesson this morning. They'd been studying tea leaves, and the professor had announced that Harry's cup held the grim and that he was going to die almost as soon as she'd picked it up. Most of the class had been giving him strange looks ever since, as if expecting him to keel over and die at any minute. Even Ron had looked a bit worried, but Hermione had pronounced it all to be a load of rubbish as soon as they'd left Professor Trelawney's darkened, heavily perfumed classroom.

"It's really weird to hear you calling the professors by their first names" Harry said, trying to steer Remus away from the previous topic.

"No weirder than it is for me to actually do it. Most of your teachers taught me when I was at school" Remus remarked casually, handing Harry a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "She told me off this morning for calling her Professor McGonagall. Told me I was her colleague, not her student, and to tell her who let the horned toads out in our fourth year"

Harry laughed. Sirius brought the story up every time he thought Remus was being miserable. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I was perfectly behaved at school, and never broke any rules. But that Sirius may or may not have been the last one in the dungeons"

Harry laughed again. "But you know that wasn't true"

Remus turned to look at him. "Are you suggesting that I would tell lies in order to cover up my own involvement in the rescue of over a hundred toads?"

"Of course not" Harry said, taking a swift gulp of hot chocolate to hide his smile. A contented silence fell between them, both of them steadily finishing off their drink. Then, out of nowhere, Harry blurted out a question that had been bothering him all day. He couldn't even remember making the decision to ask it. "Do you think it has anything to do with Peter?"

Remus looked at him shrewdly. "I'm assuming you mean the tea leaves?" Harry nodded. "I think… divination is a very imprecise art Harry. I think divination is all about how you interpret what you _see. _But no, I don't think it's about Peter. There are too many people here, for you. Peter could never get to you… Unless of course you do something very stupid"

Harry looked at him. There were dark circles under his eyes, which meant only one thing – he hadn't been sleeping. They were all so worried about Peter, but they were all trying so hard to not let Harry see. Normally, he would have made a comment about not being a child, but to be honest, he welcomed their reassurances. He knew it was all a lie, but it made him feel better about everything that was happening.

"Well then, I shall do my best to avoid trouble"

OoOoOo

Harry tried to swallow his guilt as he, Ron and Hermione eased through the front doors. He was quite sure this was what Remus had meant when he said not to do anything stupid. But Harry had decided that Hagrid was far more important. Didn't stop him feeling slightly guilty though.

Ron knocked on the door as Harry swung the invisibility cloak off. Well, if he was going to disobey Remus, he thought he should at least take some form of precaution. A low "C'min" met the knock, so Ron pushed the door open. The smell of alcohol hit them as soon as they swung open the door. Hagrid was sat at the large table, a tankard bigger than Harry's head in front of him. Hagrid looked up at them blearily and blinked quickly, obviously trying to get them in focus.

"H'lo" He croaked. "Did yer see the headmaster on your way down?"

Ron sat down next to him. "No. Should we have?"

"'Spect he'll be down later ter tell me I've lost me job" Hagrid said morosely, taking another swig of whatever was in the tankard.

Hermione gasped and Harry frowned at him. "But you can't have been fired! It was Malfoy's fault!"

Hagrid shook his head. "Yeh think that matters? All the governors'll care about is that a student was attacked, and it was my job ter keep all of yer safe"

"But you told us not to insult the hippogriff, Malfoy just ignored you! We can be witnesses," Hermione said.

Hagrid stared at her for a moment. "Yeh'd really do that?"

Harry crossed his arms. "Of course we would, you're our friend and Sirius always says that friends are the most important thing you can have. He says you should do anything for them"

Tears leaked out of the corners of Hagrid's warm black eyes as he lifted Harrry off the floor and hugged him so tightly that Harry was sure his ribs were going to crack. Hermione took the tankard and emptied it, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Hagrid stepped back unsteadily and looked at the three of them kindly. "Thanks fer comin' down ter see me. I…"

He stopped dead and satred at them Harry knew what was coming before Hagrid even opened his mouth. "WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOING? YEH'RE NOT MEANT TO LEAVE THE CASTLE"

"Ah, yes, well-" Harry began. Hagrid cut him off.

"YEH'RE NOT MEANT TO BE HERE! Harry, we're tryin' ter keep yeh safe! I'm takin' you back to the castle. And don't sneak out again!"

OoOoOo

Harry didn't sleep well. Dreams of dark figures reaching out towards him plagued him all night, and twice he woke up, covered in a cold sweat. To add insult to injury, he couldn't fall asleep again after he woke. In the end he got out of bed early, showered and dressed. Deciding that it would be childish to go running to Remus, Harry wandered down to the common room and flopped into a comfy armchair. He watched the sun rise over the mountains, marveling at the richness of colours that swept through the sky. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until Ron roughly shook him awake.

"Come on mate, breakfast"

Harry stood up and rolled his neck, smiling in relief as it let out numerous satisfying cracks. Hermione flinched at the noise. "Honestly Harry. Why are you even down here?"

Harry looked away as they climbed out of the Portrait hole. "I couldn't sleep. So I came downstairs to think" He paused and looked at Ron, "And to get away from Ron's snoring"

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron indignantly replied, "I do not snore"

Seamus caught the end of the conversation. "You do Ron. You sound worse than me da's car did when it broke"

They all laughed, and spent breakfast doing much the same. The laughter only stopped when they began the walk to the dungeons. Harry hated potions with a passion – something that he blamed on the mutual hatred of each other that he shared with the potions master, Severus Snape. They lined up and waited. It didn't take long for the door to bang open and for Snape to appear. He surveyed the line, obviously trying to control the sneer of disdain that threatened to cover his face as he looked at the Gryffindors. He stepped backwards, "Enter"

Ron and Harry raced to the back of the classroom, closely followed by Hermione, Neville, Dean and Seamus. Ron leant over to whisper an insult, but Snape began to speak, so he very quickly sat up straight and plastered a look of concentration on his freckled face. He needn't have bothered – Snape glared at him anyway. Snape's glare was so cold that Harry swore it could have turned a phoenix to ice.

He set them to work on a Shrinking Solution. Ron began to very carefully and neatly shred his daisy roots. Harry was adding leech juice to his potion by the time that Malfoy strutted into the dungeons, his arm tied up in some sort of elaborate sling. The girls in Slytherin fawned over him, but Malfoy very deliberately picked his way around the cauldrons and set his own up on Harry's other side. Snape immediately took his side and told Ron and Harry to help him prepare his ingredients. They both did so quickly and angrily.

"Why are you being even more of an arse than normal?" Ron hissed as he sliced Malfoy's daisy roots. "We all know there's nothing wrong with your arm"

Malfoy raised his eyebrow. "My arm might be permanently damaged because that oaf brought that beast to the lesson. I might not ever be able to use it properly again"

Harry glared at him. "So this is all about Hagrid?"

Malfoy smirked. "I don't think he'll be here for much longer, I'm afraid. Fathers already gone to the governors, and the Ministry of Magic"

Harry didn't say anything. He just sat in front of the table, his hands shaking in anger over what Malfoy was trying to do. It made him feel slightly sick.

"You should have added your ingredients, and then they need to stew. Potter!" Snape suddenly snapped. Harry looked at him, not quite sure what he'd done wrong. "What are you playing at? You haven't added all your ingredients. Does your idiocy know no bounds?"

Harry glared at him. The last ingredients were in his hand, ready to go into the cauldron. He was only behind because Snape had made him help Malfoy. Snape continued. "There's not enough time to brew your potion now. I shall have to give you a zero"

Harry's mouth fell open in annoyance as Snape vanished his potion. Malfoy had been even slower than Harry – he was still adding ingredients. As usual, Snape ignored that and focused his malice on Harry. In a voice loud enough for Snape to hear, Harry said "I was only behind because you made me help Malfoy, who hasn't finished either"

Hermione shot him a worried look as Snape moved to stand in front of Harry. "Five points from Gryffindor, for your cheek…and another five for bullying a student"

Harry stared at him in disbelief. He saw Malfoy smile smugly out of the corner of his eye. Harry's temper, pushed by both Malfoy and Snape, finally snapped. "Hark who's talking"

The entire class went deathly quiet. Snape glared at him. "I think that calls for detention"

Harry didn't care. Sometimes it worth the detention.


	43. Chapter 43: Forts and Friends

Sirius rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly as he faced the door. He did not want to be here. In fact, he'd go as far as to say that he would rather anywhere else but here. He knew he had to do it, but that just made it so much worse. He cursed Kingsley, who'd conveniently had a meeting and so couldn't come and took a deep breath. He knocked on the door and plastered a small smile on his face. He knew for a fact that going in, all guns blazing would get him nowhere.

The door opened slightly, and a pair of watery blue eyes peered up at him. The lines on her face had gotten much deeper in the years that Sirius hadn't seen her, but the way her eyebrows quirked up in surprise at seeing him was still the same, even after all these years.

"Sirius! Can I help you?" She asked, opening the door even further, revealing a short, slightly rounded woman with short grey hair.

"I think you know why I'm here Mrs Pettigrew. I have some questions to ask you, and I thought it would be easier to come here" Sirius said slowly, trying to look relaxed as he placed his hand in his wand pocket.

Her entire face hardened. "You best come in then" She stepped back to allow him to walk through the door. He tried not to grimace at the semi-darkness that filled the hallway when she shut the door. It reminded him far too much of his childhood home, so he'd always made sure his own house was always full of light. She led him into the lounge quickly, barely giving Sirius time to notice the lack of photos. "So you want to ask me about Peter?"

Sirius took the seat that she gestured him towards warily. "Yes. Has he tried –"

She cut off his question with one of her own. "I heard you became a father again a few months ago?"

Sirius' eyes narrowed slightly. He'd been worried that she might ask something like that. He faked a slight smile. "Yes. A boy, Matthew Sirius"

"And now you have two, yes?"

He wasn't quite sure what she was getting at, but Harry's worried face after he and Remus had spotted Peter filled his vision. "Three. I count Harry as my son"

Her blue eyes suddenly turned icy, no doubt at the memory that Sirius' words brought forward. "Of course…"

Sirius frowned. "I came to ask you about Peter. Have you seen him since he broke out of Azkaban? Has he tried to contact you in any way?"

She seemed not to hear him as she spoke again. "Do you love your children Sirius?"

Sirius' frown deepened. He wasn't comfortable talking to her in all honesty, but he'd demanded that Scrimgouer put him on the case. He guessed that meant he'd have to endure the bad parts. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he answered anyway, knowing that if he offended her the interview was as good as over. "Yes, of course. But I came to – "

She interrupted him again, finally meeting his intent gaze with one of her own. "And you'd do anything for them?"

Her meaning suddenly fell into place. "My children aren't mass murderers"

Her entire demeanor changed. Her eyebrows slanted and her mouth set itself in a scowl. Her hands curled into fists. But the most worrying change was her eyes. They seemed to crackle with fury. "DON'T. Don't you dare"

Sirius stared at her, completely lost for words. How anyone could defend that man after what he'd done was beyond him. Peter had ruined Sirius' life, not to mention all of the others, and her defence of him made Sirius' blood boil. "He murdered 12 people. The blood of nearly a dozen more is on his hands. He ruined mine, Remus' and Harry's lives in one fell swoop"

She flinched at his words. Sirius was too angry to care. "He was your friend! That should count for something"

Sirius' mouth fell open. It was like she'd chosen to forget everything her son had done. Sirius would never forget. He'd gone through too much. The wounds it had left would fade, but he didn't think they'd ever really heal. He answered in a shaky voice, barely able to contain the anger that was rushing through his veins. "Peter lost the right to call himself a friend when he betrayed us all"

OoOoOo

"Sirius, what on earth are you doing?" Alex asked in a confused tone, having just come home to find her husband and two children missing, but a massive pile of pillows and blankets in the lounge.

Sirius popped his head up from behind the pile. "We're building a fort. Isn't that obvious?"

Alex paused as Kura appeared next to him, a wide grin on her face. "No, not really. Its just a pile of cushions"

Sirius gasped dramatically. "That's because we haven't built it yet. We were merely collecting everything we'd need. Can you imagine how awkward it would be if you built the fort and then realised you were missing the door?"

Alex looked at him. "Of course. Is Matthew sleeping?"

"He's back here – asleep" Sirius replied happily, sparing a glance to where the 3 month old was fast asleep, snuggled contently in about four cushions. After he'd left Mrs Pettigrew, Sirius had sent a note to Scrimgoeur, telling him that she hadn't known anything and that he wasn't feeling well and needed to stay home. In reality, Sirius was so furious that he'd thought he probably would have shouted himself hoarse if he'd returned to work. Instead, he'd come home to play with his children, to remind himself that he hadn't lost everything.

"OK. While I think, keep the mirror nearby. Snape delighted in telling Remus and I that he had to give Harry detention today for being cheeky. If I know Snape though, he probably pushed Harry until he snapped"

Sirius' voice was slightly muffled when he replied, on account of the fact that he was searching through the pile of cushions to find the right one to start with. "He probably deserved it"

"Possibly. I shall leave you two to build your fort then" Alex said as she walked back out of the room. Kura turned to look at Sirius.

"Where should we start daddy?"

Sirius grinned.

OoOoOo

"Daddy, can we have dinner in here?" Kura asked as the two of them sat in their fort, Kura playing with Sirius' hair. He found it surprisingly relaxing.

"That depends what we're having. I can lift up the 'door' if you want to go and ask?"

Kura paused and nodded. Sirius lifted the large pink pillow out of the way and watched as Kura wriggled out. He looked at the fort with a grin. It was rather impressive, but then again, magic came in very handy. He'd managed to stabilise the cushions so they could build high walls (nearly up to the ceiling) and he'd expanded the blankets so they made a roof. Kura had even insisted on a window, so she could see into the back garden and look over their 'realm'. Alex had passed them in books, pencils and a few of Kura's toys and the three of them had been quite content to stay in there for the rest of the afternoon. Sirius had performed a colour-changing spell on the 'roof', which was currently keeping Matthew enthralled.

Sirius smiled and leaned back against the wall, deep in thought. While his earlier anger wasn't completely gone, he was a lot calmer than he had been. Kura returned with a grin on her little face, her grey eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mummy says yes, but only if you do an impertubuh…" She trailed off and looked at Sirius quizzically.

"Do you mean an imperturbable charm?" Sirius asked, smiling lightly.

"That's what mummy said" Kura said. "She said it won't be long"

Sirius nodded slowly and whipped his wand out. Normally he would have gone to help Alex, but he didn't think it wise to leave an excitable Kura alone. "I think you need a crown Kura," Sirius said after he performed the charm. Kura looked up at him in wonder. "All princesses need a crown"

OoOoOo

Sirius ran his hands through his hair tiredly as he stared at the photos dotted around the room. There was one of he, James, Lily and Remus taken the Christmas that James proposed. It was in a large frame, surrounded by other, smaller photos of the two of them. A photo of him holding baby Harry stood next to it. A photo of Remus, Sirius and a 6 year old Harry was sat on the other side of the first, the three of them grinning happily and waving at the camera as they stood outside the Parthenon. Hanging on the wall was a photo of Alex and Sirius on their wedding day, Harry and Remus stood next to them. And then numerous photos of Kura and Matthew, Sirius' favourite being the one of Harry, Kura and Matthew taken only a few weeks ago.

He watched as the photographic James and Lily grinned at him and James dipped Lily as he kissed her soundly. He missed them so much it was like a constant ache. A constant reminder of what Peter had destroyed. What his cowardice had done.

"I miss them too" A soft voice said from the doorway. Sirius looked up. Alex was stood in the doorway, staring at the picture of James and Lily. She sat down next to him. "I think of them everyday"

"I just…" Sirius felt tears prick at his eyes, but made no move to wipe them away. "When my family disowned me, James became my family. The Marauders were everything to me. They were all I had. And then came Lily. Lovely Lily. When we left school, despite the war, and the people dying, I was happy. I had a better family than ever before. No matter how bad things got, they were always there. And Peter ripped it all away. he destroyed everything that mattered" Sirius stopped briefly, his voice cracking. "I don't care about what he did to me, that's nothing really. It's what he did to James and Lily that still gets me angry. What he did to Harry"

Alex looked at him sadly. Sirius continued, his eyes fixed on a photo of the three Potters that he had taken. "That's why I have to catch him. I will not let him ruin any of more of Harry's life. I think he's done enough"

"Sirius, you underestimate the effect you have had on Harry's life. He's happy, and that's all down to you" She said softly.

Sirius shook his head. "He wouldn't have needed me to step up, if I hadn't failed in the first place. It was my fault"

"No. It was Peter's fault, and Voldemort's fault. You didn't do anything"

"I convinced them to use Peter! I said that nobody would ever suspect him…and I didn't"

Alex shook her head. "Sirius, you said yourself, they were your family. How were you to know?"

"I suspected Remus!" Sirius snarled, hopeless rage getting the better of him. "I knew it was someone close, but…I failed them" He suddenly felt drained, empty. "Do you know what the last words I said to James were?" Alex shook her head. Sirius looked down, unable to look at James and Lily's smiling faces anymore. "I said "I'll keep you safe. I promise" Alex gasped. "My last words to him were a lie. I failed. I couldn't keep the only family I had safe"

Sirius ground his teeth together "But it won't happen again. And that's a promise I intend to keep"


	44. Chapter 44: Books and boggarts

"Ron, come on! We're going to be late!" Hermione said, yet again, tapping her foot impatiently as Ron picked up his fifth slice of toast. Scowling, he climbed to his feet, swung his bag over his shoulder and took a large bite of the toast.

"There's no need to get your wand in a knot. We've still got ten minutes left" Ron replied between bites of toast. Regardless of his anger, he was still the first one to peek around the door of the defence against the dark arts classroom, obviously keen on getting to Remus' first lesson. They'd all asked him what he was teaching them this year, but he'd merely smile mysteriously and change the subject. It was driving Harry up the wall.

"Where is he? The bell's going to ring any minute!" Hermione said anxiously, standing on her tiptoes to peer down the corridor.

"He's probably drinking hot chocolate and lost track of time. That's quite a Remus thing to do" Harry said flippantly, knowing that chocolate was Remus' favourite food on the planet. "I'm sure he won't mind if we go in anyway"

Hermione stepped into the classroom first, as if scared that Remus was going to pop up inside the classroom and tell them off for entering without permission. Nothing happened, so she happily filed onto a desk with Neville, Harry and Ron taking the one next to her. She immediately began rummaging in her bag for her defence book. Harry, Ron and Neville all stared.

"Hermione, are you trying to read the entire library this year? There must be 10 books in your bag?" Ron asked incredulously. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're not researching anything are you? I swear there aren't any basilisks here anymore"

"What?" Hermione answered distractedly, finally straightening up in triumph as she found the book she wanted. "These are for all of my subjects"

"But this is the last lesson of the day! We've only had divination, charms and potions. Why do you need so many books?" Ron asked again. Harry rolled his eyes and watched the rest of the class file in.

"What does it matter if I have them all in my bag?" Hermione suddenly snapped. "They're not doing anything to you are they?"

Ron turned to Harry as Hermione opened the book that she had just found. "She's a nutter"

Harry was about to reply, but Remus walked in the room, effectively cutting off all conversation. Nobody knew quite how strict he would be yet, so no one was willing to push it. He was smiling though, as he looked around the classroom.

"Good afternoon. Today's lesson will be a practical, all you'll need are your wands"

Harry grinned to himself. Remus' practical lessons were always fun, like the time when he'd been teaching Harry about medieval life and they'd staged a joust in the back garden. Sirius had been most disappointed when he came home from work and realised he'd missed it. Still smiling, he didn't notice the curious looks spreading over the class. No doubt they were thinking about their last, rather disastrous last practical lesson. Remus however, smiled lightly and told the class to follow him.

He led them to the staff room, a small room with numerous armchairs and sofas dotted around the room. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe in the corner. He and Ron shared a look. Harry could distinctly remember hiding in it when they'd figured out what was in the Chamber of Secrets and had come to tell the teachers the truth. However, the thing that caught his eye, more than the wardrobe that every now and then would shake, was Professor Snape, who was reclining in one of the armchairs, newspaper in hand. As soon as the class had entered, he'd lowered the newspaper and scowled at them all.

"Leave the door Lupin," He drawled, rising suddenly. "I'd rather not see students make complete fools of themselves anymore than I have to" He walked towards the door, his robes billowing dramatically as he went. He stopped at the doorway and looked back with a sneer on his face. "I'd be careful if I were you, professor, this class contains Neville Longbottom. The boy so clueless that it's a wonder he even got this far"

Neville flushed bright red. Harry glared at his least favourite teacher in the castle. Remus raised an eyebrow and looked at Snape. "As a matter of fact, I thought that Neville would best suited to help me with the demonstration"

Snape merely gave them all a contemptuous look before sweeping out of the doorway. Remus closed the door behind him, with what Harry recognised as, poorly concealed relief. "Right, today's lesson concerns that wardrobe. Or rather, the contents of the wardrobe" Remus gestured to the ugly wardrobe as it gave another wobble. "Can anybody say what's inside it?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Remus smiled at her enthusiasm. "It's a Boggart"

Ron's eyes widened in fear and quite a few people eyed the rattling wardrobe with worry. Remus carried on. "And who can tell me what a Boggart is? Hermione?"

Hermione's hand had, once again, shot straight into the air. "Boggarts are shape shifters. They take on the form of their victims worst fear" Ron shuddered. "Which is why nobody knows what a Boggart truly looks like"

Remus smiled again. "Very good. Now, we have an advantage over this Boggart. Can anybody tell me what it is?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air again, almost before Remus had stopped speaking. Harry raised his more tentatively. Remus nodded at him. "Because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape to take?"

"Exactly Harry. It's always wise to have company when dealing with Boggarts. They get confused. Before now I've seen a Boggart try to scare two people at once, by turning into half a snake and half a thestral. Not scary at all" He caught Harry's eye, and Harry could tell that his father was involved in that story somehow. "You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape that is amusing. The charm that does is simple… riddikulus. We'll practice without wands first. Repeat after me please, _riddikulus!"_

"Riddikulus!" The class chanted.

"Very good. Sadly, the incantation alone is not enough" He gestured to Neville, who was still slightly red from Snape's words. "I think this is where a demonstration becomes wise, Neville, if you please"

Neville walked forwards slowly, his hands trembling slightly. Remus smiled reassuringly at him. "Now, Neville. What frightens you most?"

Neville stared at Remus incredulously. Then he mumbled "Professor Snape"

The staffroom was suddenly filled with sniggers. Remus however, did not laugh. A thoughtful expression passed over his face.

"And you live with your grandmother?" Remus asked, despite the fact that he knew it to be true. Harry could only assume he did it to hide the fact that he had known Neville well since the age of four.

"Yeah…" Neville said confusedly, looking at Remus oddly. "But I don't want it to turn into her either"

"It won't" Remus said aloud, and then moved closer to Neville and whispered something in his ear. The ghost of a smile passed over Neville's face, before a fearful expression replaced it. Remus smiled and backed away, leaving Neville to stare at the wobbling wardrobe.

"After Neville succeeds, the Boggart will likely face each of us. I need you all to think of your worst fear, and how you would then turn it into something amusing"

Harry looked down as the class fell silent, each obviously working out their worst fear. Voldemort came to his thoughts first, the Voldemort at full strength that had haunted his nightmare s for years. He shuddered slightly and turned his mind to the problem of making the dark lord amusing. Before he'd even begun to think, a new image floated through his mind. That of a rotten, dead hand and a horrible, choking rattle as it drew breath. He remembered the scream and shuddered again. He felt his stomach drop. But then, how could you make a dementor any less terrifying?

"Everybody ready?" There were nods around the room. Harry's eyes widened in panic. "Good. Neville, when you're ready?"

Neville nodded and Remus pointed his wand at the wardrobe. The door creaked open slowly and Neville's grip tightened on his wand. Professor Snape stepped out of the wardrobe, glaring at Neville from under his greasy black hair. He walked closer, fury radiating off him in waves. Neville took a step backward in fear, but then stopped and raised his wand. "Riddikulus!" He cried in a fierce voice that didn't quite hide his panic.

There was a loud crack and Snape stumbled. He was suddenly wearing an ancient but severe looking dress suit, high heeled shoes, a large hat topped by a stuffed vulture and a large, red handbag was swinging from his hand. There was a great shout of laughter from the rest of the class; Harry was clutching at his sides as he laughed.

The Boggart stopped, confused and Remus shouted, "Brilliant! Dean, you next!"

Harry watched with interest as there was a loud crack and a large, bloody hand appeared. It was strangely dead looking, but it began to scuttle towards the tall Gryffindor. Before it reached him he cried "Riddikulus" and there was another loud crack, leaving the hand encased in a large metal trap and struggling furiously to get out. The Boggart became a banshee as Seamus stepped forward, the cocky grin on his face not quite hiding the fear in his eyes. She opened her mouth, but before any sound could come out, Seamus roared "Riddikulus" and she clutched at her throat instead, only making a weird strangled sound that wasn't frightening anybody.

Ron was next, and he faced the Boggart with a determined expression on his face. There was a loud crack, but it merged with several screams as the students stared at the horror in front of them. Seven feet tall, with eight legs and eight eyes, a spider loomed over Ron. Not just any spider though, Harry quickly realised. An acromantula, with venom dripping from its overlarge pincers. It began to advance on Ron slowly, each footfall making a loud thud. Ron let out a weird, choked squeak as he raised his wand, and then managed to force out a "Riddikulus". The spider's legs vanished with a loud crack and it's eight eyes fixed Ron with a furious glare. He gulped and gave Harry a high five, who was next.

He gripped his wand firmly and stared at the spider as it made another loud crack. Before it had fully resolved into the dark, cloaked figure that Harry knew it would become, Remus appeared in front of him, shouting "Here!" Harry frowned as they all looked for the Boggart. A silvery orb was hanging in the air. Remus looked at it, and unlike everybody else, merely said "Riddikulus"

The orb disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. "It's confused! Neville, come and finish it off!"

Neville rushed forward, a determined look on his round face. Neville shouted "Riddikulus!" and the smoke quickly became Snape again, wearing the green dress suit and the vulture-topped hat. Neville sniggered this time, along with the rest of the class, before it burst into tiny wisps of white smoke and disappeared.

Harry clapped loudly with the rest of the class, frowning at Remus as turned to survey the class. "Excellent, really excellent. I think we'll leave the lesson there. Before you go, I think everybody that faced the Boggart deserves 5 points each, and 10 to Neville because he faced it twice. Oh, and five each to Harry and Hermione for answering my questions" He paused and smiled, ignoring Harry's annoyed glare. "Class dismissed"

There was a surge of excited chatter as the class left the staffroom. Harry however, didn't. His annoyance had quickly turned to shame and confusion. Had Remus thought that he wasn't capable of handling the Boggart? Remus turned to him, the light smile slipping off his face as he took in Harry's expression. "Remus, why didn't you let me face the dementor?"

Remus looked at him shrewdly and smiled slightly in relief. "Well, I assumed it would turn into Voldemort, Harry. I didn't think it wise to have the dark lord appear in the staff room. I think people might have panicked"

Harry stared at him in shock. He hadn't expected Remus to have a perfectly logical reason. If he was honest, he'd expected Remus to deny that he had done anything. "Oh" He paused, wondering if he should say anymore. "I wasn't thinking of him. Well, I was at first, but then I remembered the train…and the dementor"

Remus gave him an appraising, yet thoughtful look. "That suggests your biggest fear is fear itself. That's very wise Harry"

Harry scowled. "Obviously not wise enough to stop them affecting me so much"

Remus looked at him sharply, but his voice was soft, almost sad. "Harry, they affect you so much because you have true horrors in your past. You are not weak"

Harry looked up at him, not even bothering to wonder how Remus knew that that thought had been running through his mind. He always did.

_**AN: I have one exam left, which is why the next chapter might not go up till Sunday. Because not only have I got the most important exam of my degree this year, I also have to write a proposal for my dissertation. Such is life. I've started the next chapter though, so Sunday at the latest.**_

_**Please leave a review**_


	45. Chapter 45: Moaning and Meeting

_**Because somebody reminded me, I don't own anything except Alex, Kura and Matthew**_

"Mister Weasley, might I have a word please?" Remus asked as the seventh years filed out of the classroom. Percy turned around with a slight frown and walked over to Remus.

"Can I help you professor?"

Remus smiled lightly. Percy was nothing if not polite, maybe too much so. He knew that the younger Weasleys complained about him being pompous, but Remus still saw the curious, ambitious eight year old that he'd met all those years ago. He knew that Percy was insecure about where he stood in his family, he enjoyed books where as his other siblings preferred brooms. Remus could understand that. "Percy, are you alright? Your brothers said you've been upset all summer, and you seem…distracted"

Percy stared at him. "Mother told you to ask me, didn't she?" He continued staring until Remus finally nodded his head. "I'm perfectly well, thank you Professor. I'm just busy"

Remus looked at him sceptically. He'd known Percy for long enough to be able to tell when he wasn't telling the whole truth. He thought he knew what this was about, but he wasn't sure. He continued to stare at Percy. He managed to keep a straight face for a while, but his eyes betrayed him eventually. They flickered away from Remus' and when they met again, moisture was clinging to his eyelashes.

"How can you stand it?" Percy cried, a dash of bright red appearing in each of his cheeks. "Knowing what he did? And…"

Remus looked at him sadly. He'd had a shrewd suspicion for a while that this was why Percy had been upset. "Percy…"

"He was my pet! For nearly 2 years I kept him safe! I fed him, played with him, kept him warm – I loved him! And all along he was a murderer. He killed dozens of people, he nearly ruined Sirius' life!"

He ripped off his glasses and swiped furiously at his eyes. Remus gestured for Percy to follow him to his office. He pointed at a seat, but Percy shook his head. "You were eight Percy. How were you to know what he was, what he did?" Percy opened his mouth to say something more, but Remus cut across him. "I was his friend for ten years. I probably knew him best out of everyone. Or at least, I thought I did. Do you not think I would have noticed something was wrong? The truth is Percy; he was very good at hiding what he really was. He was always very good at appearing weak, and getting people to trust him"

Percy looked at him; shock reflected in his face as Remus' voice continued to rise. "Never forget Percy, you're the reason we caught him. If you hadn't found him and taken him in, I dread to think where we'd be"

"That doesn't particularly make me feel any better about the whole fiasco," Percy said. Remus smiled bitterly. Percy was starting to sound more like his old self.

"I know the feeling. Please don't dwell on it – you weren't to know what he was. You saw what he wanted, and you cannot be blamed for that. He fooled us all for years, and we all knew him. Percy, you are not at fault for falling for it"

Remus rubbed his temples as Percy stood before him, obviously searching for a reply. Sirius had been telling him much the same for years, that it wasn't Remus' fault for falling for Peter's plan. They all had, even Dumbledore. Still, Remus couldn't quite convince himself that it were true. He'd probably carry the guilt for the rest of his life.

OoOoOo

"Harry, do you want to tell me why Professor Snape has given you yet another detention?" Remus asked softly. The two of them were sat in his office with a large mug of hot chocolate each, as had become their ritual. The days were slowly getting shorter, and despite the fact that it was only half past seven, the sky was pitch black outside of his window.

Harry scowled as he watched raindrops trace their way down the window. "Because he's an arse"

Remus rolled his eyes. "While I already know that, I feel it wise to remind you to have at least some respect for him"

Harry looked down angrily again. "Only when he deserves it"

"Don't push it, young man. He may not be very nice, but he is a teacher" He met Harry's eyes and he sighed loudly. "What did he do?"

"He was making snide comments about you, dad and Sirius all lesson. I just snapped and told him to keep his overlarge nose out of things that didn't concern him"

Remus felt a wave of panic at Harry's first words. What had Snape said? If Snape had let something slip… And then Harry's retort sunk in and he fought the urge to snigger. That was such a James thing to say, he'd always had the ability to come a quick but witty rebuttal. "Do you have a death wish?"

"No" Harry answered defensively. "Besides, its not like it isn't true"

Remus sighed. He was sure this was Sirius' doing, who had always told Harry that family and friendship were the most important things, and to never let it go if somebody attacked that. "Well, maybe. But honestly Harry…" He paused, gathering his thoughts. "You really ought to stop being so cheeky to him"

Harry groaned. "He just…he makes me so angry"

"He knows exactly what will annoy you most. You're just doing exactly what he wants you to do when you react" Harry looked at him confusedly. "He wants you to be like James" Harry frowned at him. Remus sighed and continued. "If you're like James he can forget that you're also Lily's son. Lily was his best friend, where as he and James loathed each other. He never really got his revenge on James, for taking Lily away. He's angry, Harry, and when you do something like your dad would have done, a part of him can forget that you're not James, and he punishes you as if you were. That's why he baits you. He wants to see the James part of you and punish him"

Harry sat in silence for a moment. "The way you talk, you make it sound like dad was horrible" Harry looked up. Remus noticed the tears forming in his eyes.

"No Harry. James was the bravest man I've ever met. He couldn't bear to see a frown. He was witty and clever, and always made us laugh. Yes, he was quite cheeky. And yes, he was arrogant. But everybody has flaws, like Sirius' recklessness and my ability to keep everything to myself, to suffer in silence. Did I ever tell you of how we all met?"

OoOoOo

Eleven-year-old Remus Lupin was smiling so broadly that his cheeks were starting to hurt. That didn't make him stop though. He was so thrilled to be here. He was stood casually at King's Cross station, trying desperately to contain his excitement. John Lupin gave him a little push and Remus nodded, pushing his trolley forward determinedly. He glanced at the wall in front of him (it looked very solid) and broke into a jog, the wall looming closer and closer. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't hit the wall. He opened his eyes and gaped at what he saw before him. A scarlet steam engine stood on the tracks, puffs of steam rising from it rhythmically. And the people! He didn't think he'd ever seen so many.

Because of his condition, and the resulting lack of money, Remus didn't get to be in the true wizarding world very often, and so the sheer number and diversity of witches and wizards always astounded him. There were tall, aristocratic wizards dressed in fine clothes, a cruel look in their eyes as they looked down on the others in the station. Remus had never seen so many people in robes before, but nearly all of the adults on the platform wore robes of varying colours. And then there were a few people in Muggle clothes, who were staring around at the platform in awe. It was them that the aristocratic wizards were looking down at, disdain written plainly across their haughty features.

Remus was paying so much attention to the sights around him, that he failed to notice what was in front of him. Or at least, until there was a loud crash and Remus felt a shock go through his entire body. He looked in front of him, blushing furiously as he met the eyes of the owner of the trolley that he'd just crashed into. She had excited, bright green eyes.

"I'm so sorry" Remus stuttered, looking at his feet.

"It's alright, no harm done" The girl said. "I'm Lily"

Remus looked up. "Remus Lupin"

Lily held out a hand, a smile forming on her face. Remus stared at it, and rather hesitantly took it. Lily laughed softly. "Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin" Remus smiled shyly at her. There was something about her that drew him in, made him smile. She looked at him with such openness in her eyes that Remus stared. He wondered what it would be like to be that open. To not have to worry about how dangerous you were. He looked down bitterly and quickly pulled his hand back. Lily didn't seem to notice Remus' turmoil. "I guess I'll see you on the train" Remus nodded slowly, his eyes still on his shoes. He most definitely wouldn't be looking for her on the train. If just two sentences from her could make him feel like this, he hated to think how being her friend would make him feel. No. Friends were a weakness, a danger. He couldn't risk anyone finding out what he was.

Lily had found him anyway. The two of them were looking for a compartment. So far, they hadn't been very successful. Lily stopped in front of him, Remus wasn't paying enough attention and he nearly walked into her. He caught himself in time as Lily opened a compartment door. There was one lone occupant. He had dark, curly hair that hung nearly to his shoulders. He looked at the two of them cautiously through large, grey eyes.

Lily smiled. "Do you mind if we sit with you? We can't find a compartment"

The boy shrugged and Remus noticed a slight reddening of the skin by his cheekbone. Remus' eyes narrowed at him. He stood up to help Lily lift her trunk up onto the rails. Lily smiled at him. He nodded his head and bent slightly, in a bow. Remus raised an eyebrow.

The dark haired boy looked at Remus. "I'm Sirius Black," He didn't sound particularly happy about it. "Would you like a hand?" He gestured to Remus' trunk.

"Please" Remus winced as the word left his mouth. He'd never been bothered by his accent before, but compared to Sirius he sounded like a country bumpkin. He grew up in a small village in Gloucestershire, with only about 70 houses in the village. Where as, Sirius had obviously grown up somewhere well off. He'd obviously had a privileged childhood. Sirius was still looking at him. Remus swallowed. "Remus Lupin". Sirius shook his hand and then helped Remus lift his trunk. He turned to Lily. She introduced herself and he shook her hand gently.

The three of them took their seats, Remus reaching into his bag for the book that he'd brought to read. It was a new, but slightly battered copy of _The Hobbit_. It had been one of his favourite books for years, so much so that the spine had broken off the original. His parents had brought him a new copy for his birthday. He tucked his legs under himself, snuggling into the seat. He didn't get to start it though. The compartment door slid open again. The polite conversation between Sirius and Lily stopped suddenly. A messy haired boy with round glasses stood in the doorway, struggling with what looked like an incredibly heavy trunk.

"Hi" He said a bit breathlessly. "Can I join you?"

Sirius glanced at Lily. "Sure" The messy haired boy introduced himself as James. He glanced around the carriage, grinning as they all introduced themselves. James struggled in, dragging the trunk behind him. "Need a hand?"

"Please" James said. Sirius rose to his feet fluidly and attempted to help him lift the trunk. They didn't seem to be having much luck at it.

"Bloody hell Potter" Sirius panted, as they struggled to lift the trunk. "What the hell have you got in here?"

James pushed his glasses up his nose. "I don't know. My mother packed it. It's probably got like, the entire contents of my bedroom in it"

Remus watched them struggle quietly. He knew he should probably offer to help them, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. He was quite happy to just be in the background. They were much less likely to realise what he was if they didn't know what he was. But still… "Can I help?" He offered, rather timidly.

James smiled. "Thanks"

Together, the three of them managed to lift the trunk onto the rail. They collapsed back into their seats, breathing heavily. Remus reached for his book again. James immediately started a conversation with Sirius and Lily, repeatedly trying to draw Remus into the conservation. He answered the questions directed at him quickly, trying not to get dragged into their conversation.

For at least the eleventh time that day, Remus lowered his book. The witch with the trolley was stood in the doorway, smiling slightly at them. Remus sighed quietly as he watched James return to his seat, a cauldron cake in one hand and a bar of Honeydukes chocolate in the other. Remus didn't have any money to buy anything – he'd spent his pocket money on a new book from Flourish & Blotts in the summer. He reached down into the bag and pulled out a squashed ham sandwich. He sighed again as he began to unwrap it.

James was frowning at him. "Aren't you going to buy something from the trolley?"

Remus flushed slightly. "I don't have any money. Besides, I already have these" He held up one of the sandwiches feebly.

James met his gaze as Remus took a bite from the sandwich. They weren't very big, so he'd already eaten half of it. "But it's nearly gone. Aren't you still hungry?"

"Regardless of whether I'm hungry or not, I don't have any money to buy anything" Remus said quietly. "I'll just wait for the feast"

Sirius looked at him. The red mark on his cheek had quite plainly become a bruise in the hour and a half that they'd been sharing a compartment. "But that's ages away! You'll be starving!"

Remus sighed angrily. It was obvious from the way they spoke and acted that both Sirius and James had grown up with money. People that had grown up like that sometimes found it hard to understand what it was like to grow up without it. He didn't blame them, he couldn't even feel bitter that they'd grown up with the one thing he'd never had. It wasn't their fault. But it was his fault that his family were short of money. If he hadn't been a monster, his parents would never have had to spend extortionate amounts on cures for him. They never worked anyway.

"Shh! Leave him alone!" Lily hissed. "Just because he's not as rich as you two obviously are doesn't mean he's any less of a person"

Remus closed his eyes. If only she knew… He wasn't a person. He would never be anything other than a monster. Sirius looked at her, shock in his grey eyes. "I meant no disrespect. I was just thinking what I would be like. I'd probably die if all I had to keep me going was a ham sandwich. I'm sorry if I offended you"

Lily looked at him, eventually nodding slightly. "I think James ought to apologise too" She turned to James, only to find his seat empty. She scowled.

"It's alright Lily, I don't mind. I'm kind of used to it" Remus said quietly. He smiled slightly at Sirius to tell him that it was okay. He smiled back sheepishly.

"But you shouldn't have to be!" Lily said passionately. "My mum always says that money doesn't mean a thing if you have family and friends who love you"

Remus saw a sad look pass over Sirius' face and he raised a hand to touch the bruise that covered the top of his cheekbone. Remus was about to say something when James returned, his arms laden with sweets. Remus' eyes widened against his will. James had a large grin on his face as he deposited the sweets next to Remus. He obviously sensed the objection that was forming on Remus' lips, so he spoke first.

"I've bought these for everybody. I thought we could all have some" He grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's and threw himself back in his seat. He gestured for the others to take some. Sirius grabbed a liquorice wand and Lily tentatively took a bar of chocolate. Remus stayed exactly where he was, deliberately avoiding James' eyes. "Everybody includes you Remus. I thought it would be easier to talk if we all had sweets, instead of just me and Sirius"

Remus met his hazel brown eyes hesitantly. There was a warmth there that he didn't expect to see in the young boy's eyes. A kindness that Remus had only seen in a handful of people. It was hard for people to look at him like that when they knew what he was. Still, James didn't know. He barely knew anything about Remus, and yet he was looking at him with such kindness that Remus couldn't help but smile. He slowly took a Pumpkin Pasty. "Thank you"

James grinned broadly. Remus smiled back. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he'd feared after all.

_**AN: I owe you all a heartfelt apology. I promised this chapter last weekend, and I am so sorry that it wasn't up then. I won't bother you with excuses; just know that I haven't been able to write. I can't promise when chapter 46 will be up, but I won't upload it until I have a few more chapters written, and this might take me a while. I feel like my writing style has deteoriated, and the chapters are getting harder to write. So any criticism and advice would be greatly appreciated. **_

_**I'm also sorry I haven't been able to respond to reviews, I just want you all to know that I read every single one and they all make me smile.**_

_**And most importantly, thank you for reading this **_


	46. Chapter 46: Friends

"Oliver, relax" Fred said reassuringly. "We could beat Hufflepuff with only half our team"

Harry frowned. Oliver had just told them that instead of playing Slytherin, as they'd been training for, they were now playing Hufflepuff. Malfoy was still pretending that his arm was hurt, and he and Flint had managed to persuade Madam Hooch to change when they were playing. Malfoy hadn't even bothered pretending – he sent Harry a smug smirk every time every time he saw him. Deep down, Harry couldn't blame him. It had been raining heavily for the past couple of days, and there was the odd rumble of thunder – Harry didn't particularly fancy playing in these conditions either.

Oliver waved Fred's comment aside. "They're a good team this year. They've got a new captain, Cedric Diggory, and he's got their team in shape. They play completely differently to Slytherin"

"Oh, come on Oliver. Diggory's so stupid I'm surprised he knows which end of the broom to get on!" George scoffed, waving his hand flippantly. "Their team won't be that good"

Angelina, Alicia and Katie all scowled at him. Harry sat in between the girls and the twins, and truth be told he felt slightly awkward.

"They're a much better team than you give them credit for! You should never underestimate your enemies"

Harry rolled his eyes. From the way that Oliver was talking, you'd think the world was about to end. He had a tendency to be a tad over-dramatic. He carried on. "This is our year to win the cup, I know it is! We won't win if we swan around, acting as if we're better than all the other teams! We have to put the work in"

Alicia smiled gently at him. "That's all well and good Oliver, but we can barely see a foot in front of our faces in this weather. We have trained, to the best of our ability. We can spend the next few days researching up on Hufflepuff, but honestly Oliver. Relax. We're the best team Hogwarts has seen in a very long time. We'll be fine"

OoOoOo

Harry walked out into the common room, still rubbing his hair dry. There was no point in doing anything more to it – it would be just as messy whatever he did. Ron and Neville were sat by the fireplace, scribbling away at their transfiguration essay rather worriedly. Hermione sat at a table next to them, a large rune dictionary open on her lap, which she pored over feverishly. Harry threw himself into an armchair next to Ron.

Ron looked up as Harry began to root through his bag. "Are you trying to do McGonagall's transfiguration essay too? Because we can't find how many potions you have to take before you try the first transfiguration, and what they actually do?"

Harry pulled out his nearly complete essay. Well, having a godfather who is an animagus comes in handy sometimes. "Sirius says 5, and he doesn't think that's changed"

Ron gaped at him, and then began muttering darkly about "cheaters" and "animagi godfathers". Harry smirked at him. "What do they actually do though Harry?" Neville asked, his quill poised to write down what Harry said.

"There are three to let your cells move, grow or shrink, and to allow your cells to shift – like skin to fur. One to make sure your consciousness remains the same, no matter what form you're in, and the last one is to make sure that the first three are reversible. It'd be a poor lookout if you were stuck in your animagi form"

Neville smiled lightly. "Did Sirius say how you do it after the initial transformation?"

"He said you concentrate" Harry said in a tone that quite plainly said he didn't find that answer very helpful. "He wasn't very helpful after that. Kura came in and somehow she'd managed to pour a whole pot of paint all over herself"

Neville and Ron both sniggered. Harry finished the conclusion of the essay and reached down to his bag again. He had yet more homework, and with Wood being as fanatic as ever, he only had two full evenings to do it all. Increasingly, he found himself doing more after quidditch practice – he normally had just enough energy to do about an hour of homework, before he'd collapse into bed, utterly exhausted. Despite his increasing workload, he most definitely was not the person with the most work. That pleasure fell to Hermione, who had taken all of the extra subjects and somehow had persuaded Alex to let her be in her language lessons. He didn't know how she did it all. Harry pulled out the defence textbook and a new roll of parchment.

He wrote the title of the essay and then stopped when a pair of identical shadows fell over the parchment. He looked up. Fred and George were both stood there, not that Harry could necessarily tell which was which. He'd known them for nine years, and he still occasionally got them confused. Especially as pretending to be the other was one of their favourite pranks. Remus had caught them at it last week, and earned the profound respect of the entire fifth year.

"Can I help you fine gentlemen?" Harry asked jovially. "Or have you come to deliver another message from Oliver about Diggory?"

George smirked. "No, though you probably ought to know that he's got about six arms. Or at least, you'd think so from the way Oliver keeps going on about him" Harry snorted in amusement.

"What we actually came over to ask was if we could borrow a couple of dungbombs? We used our last ones in potions, and Snape deserves some retaliation for the hundred points he took off us" Fred asked casually.

Hermione shot him a scandalised look, taking a break from her homework to glare at him. "You deliberately set off a dungbomb in potions? Don't you realise how dangerous that was? It could have reacted with any number of things in there and exploded"

Ron, without even looking up from his essay, said, "Don't be such a killjoy, Hermione. They're still standing here, aren't they? It obviously wasn't that dangerous"

George nodded. "Much as it pains me to admit, dear Ronniekins is right. We were only making a Draught of Peace. The only thing that could have gone wrong is if someone made it too strong and you spent the rest of the day as if stoned"

Hermione continued her glare. "That doesn't matter. Aren't you bothered about the possible consequences of your actions?"

Fred and George both smirked in a way that quite plainly said no. Hermione huffed angrily and turned back to her homework. Harry suddenly realised something. "That was you! I had to clean that up in my detention!"

Ron sniggered again. He still found what Harry had said highly entertaining. Harry had agreed with him, and felt rather smug about his retort, until Snape had told him, with a twisted smile, that he would be cleaning up the mess that some dunderheaded students had made. It had been horrible work, the ingredients had ended up everywhere. There had been a thick, syrupy substance that Harry didn't want to think about dripping from the ceiling and a horrible, sticky fluid on the floor. It had smelt horrible and it had actually made him gag more than once. Snape had sat at his desk, watching Harry with a smirk the whole time.

Fred shifted slightly. "Sorry 'bout that. though I will say that was a good insult"

George nodded again. "That it was. So what do you say Harry? We have it all planned out, we'll get him back a treat"

Hermione looked at Harry, quite clearly asking him to say no. Harry ignored her, as far as he was concerned, Snape deserved everything they could throw at him. he never even stopped to consider that that was the reason Snape was such an arse in the first place. "Sure. Sirius sent me some yesterday – I'll go and grab some"

Hermione tutted loudly as Harry ran up to the dormitory. He returned, moments later, with a bulging bag of dungbombs. Fred and George's faces both cracked into identical, scheming grins. Harry handed them the bag. "Don't tell me what you're going to do. I need deniability for when Snape inevitably blames me"

Fred and George both said thanks, and then very quickly disappeared out of the common room. Harry sat back down, feeling slightly better that he'd helped to do something to get the Potions master back. Hermione however, wasn't pleased. She scowled at him. "Honestly Harry, I thought you had more respect for teachers than that!"

Harry frowned. "Only when they've earned it"

"Harry! You just aided and abetted two of the worst delinquents in the school!"

Ron snorted. "Delinquents? They might break a few rules, but they've done anything really dangerous, or, like, illegal"

Neville spoke at the same time. "Aided and abetted? You make them sound like criminals. It's just a bit of fun"

Hermione blushed slightly, but otherwise gave no sign that she'd heard them. "Harry, I can't believe you're letting them attack a teacher!"

Harry shrugged. "Not a lot I can do about it now" _Besides, _he added in his head, _it's not like he doesn't deserve it. _That didn't stop the slight squirm of guilt he felt at Hermione's words. Remus would go mental if he knew what Harry had done. Now that he thought about it, Sirius might as well. Then again, he might not. He was a strange fellow. It was incredibly hard to predict how he'd react to something. He'd react to something one way, and then he'd react to it a completely different way only minutes after the first. He was very strange – but then, that was one of the reasons he loved him.

OoOoOo

As expected, Snape had suspected Harry, and had spent the next day being more foul than normal to him. it didn't bother Harry too much – he knew that it hadn't been him, so he managed to coach his face into a politely puzzled expression every time Snape glared at him. This of course, only made the Potions master angrier, but as he found no proof that Harry had done anything, he was eventually forced to drop it.

"Harry, Professor Lupin wants to talk to you" Ginny told him as he watched Ron's knight trample his bishop. He knew for a fact that Ron was better at chess than him, so he wasn't quite sure why he nearly always said yes when Ron asked him.

"Why?" Harry asked confusedly. Remus never asked to see him. he was far too concerned about Harry being embarrassed by his mere presenc in the castle to impose himself on Harry. it was a bit silly really, Harry thought it was great that Remus was here.

"Probably the Snape thing. The slimy git probably went to Remus straight away and demanded that he punish you" Ginny said offhandedly. Hermione suddenly appeared from around a stack of books.

"Why are you all so flippant about it? They nearly blew him up!" Hermione said, though quietly enough that only the four of them could hear her.

Ginny smiled slightly. "They didn't blow him up! They just snuck into his bedroom and set off a load of dungbombs. There was no harm in it" Then an evil grin spread over her lightly freckled face. "Though I hear he has to use a bubble-head charm every time he wants to go to bed"

Ron and Harry sniggered at the mental image. "I best go see how angry Remus is then" Harry said as he stood up. "Sorry Ron, we'll have to adjourn this battle"

"Battle?" Ron asked incredulously. "Battles require that both sides have talent. It doesn't matter. Checkmate"

Ginny snorted and Harry stuck his tongue out at his annoying best friend. Harry made his way out of the common room, just as Ginny wished him "Good luck" in an oddly sinister voice. Harry heard Ron snort in amusement as the Portrait Hole closed behind him. It turned out Remus didn't want to tell him off, but that Snape had indeed been to see him. Remus had made Harry tell him who performed the prank and if Harry had had anything to do with it. rather reluctantly, Harry had revealed that they were his dungbombs that the twins had used. Remus had pursed his lips and told him off for a bit, before handing him Sirius' new care package (containing a new set of dungbombs, some exploding snap cards and some stink pellets, among other things). Remus had rolled his eyes and told him not to cause too much trouble. Harry walked away with a grin.

_**AN: Right, I'm sorry to say, but this is going to be my last chapter for a while. I've run out of steam for this story. Don't worry though, I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY! I have the rest of this year, and fourth year planned out. I just need a break to get my inspiration back. Now, I'm on holiday until the end of September, so I will probably update before, but that's not certain. I hope you all understand, and I just want you to know that I'm so grateful to everyone who has reviewed, alerted or favourited this story. Thank you so much.**_

_**And so, farewell – for now (but hopefully not too long)**_


	47. Chapter 47: A family

He felt like he was drowning. Drowning in ice. There was no escape, no way out. It was always there, forcing the breath from his lungs and the screams from his throat. Frozen blood crawled sluggishly through his veins and the tears on his face turned to ice. Crackles filled his ears as he moved, his muscles screaming in agony. His brain had slowed with the cold. It laboured over simple things, not understanding what any of it meant. But there was one thought, one thing that was so ingrained in his mind that no amount of cold or pain could dull it.

Guilt. It gnawed at his insides, worming its way deeper into his heart. It was tightening around his chest, pushing the last of the breath from his throat. Despite the pain he felt, and the way his sight was beginning to blur, he didn't fight it. He welcomed the pain. He welcomed death. He knew he deserved it. For them. For what he'd done. Blackness was beginning to swarm over his vision, but still he didn't fight. As his vision faded, and the blood began to cease its crawl through his body, he smiled bitterly. His last thought was of James and Lily.

OoOoOo

Sirius woke with a start and opened his eyes, expecting to see the dull grey of his cell. Instead, he saw a white, lightly patterned ceiling. As his mind caught up with what he was seeing, he felt the tension literally melt out of his body. He wasn't in Azkaban, he was lay in bed, in the countryside home that he'd bought when he'd got out of that hellhole. The nightmares had mainly faded away in the intervening nine years, but Peter's escape had brought them all flooding back. The worst thing was that they weren't even dreams, not really. They were memories. He'd thought he was going to die in Azkaban more than once. That thought hadn't bothered him – he'd deserved it. It was the feeling of guilt that had nearly driven him mad. It was still tormenting him, even now. It would sneak up on him when he saw Harry's face crack into a mischievous grin just like James, or when he'd play with Kura, his eyes sparkling with joy just like Lily's always did.

He climbed out of bed so fast that he nearly tore the duvet from the bed. He tucked it back under Alex's chin, careful not to wake her. Sirius smiled slightly as the sunlight that crept through the curtain shone on her face, lighting up her slender cheekbones. He turned away, the familiar guilt resurfacing with a vengeance. He didn't deserve her. Not after everything he'd done.

He sighed quietly. Today was the day. The day the war ended. The day two of his best friends made the ultimate sacrifice. The day that would haunt him until he died. The day everything changed.

OoOoOo

Sirius draped an arm around Harry's shoulder as they walked down the cobbled street. Every year, he and Remus came here. The place where it all ended. Harry was with them this year, after having asked before term that he be allowed to see the house that he had lived in as a baby. Sirius had reluctantly agreed. He was deeply concerned about the effect that seeing the empty shell of a house would have on him.

Harry gasped loudly. "Is this it?"

Sirius looked up from the cobbles sadly. In front of them was what had once been the home of James and Lily Potter. The right side of the top floor was blown apart, revealing faded blue walls. The windows were dark, but the front door hung open. The ivy that Lily had carefully cultivated had grown wild – it covered nearly the entire house.

Sirius glanced at Harry, who was gripping the fence tightly as he stared at his old home. "Yes it is"

Harry stared at the house a moment longer, before speaking in barely more than a whisper. "Can- can we go inside?"

"I don't think that's wise Harry. I think Voldemort's curse, and the years of neglect would have damaged it too much. It doesn't look safe" Remus said slowly.

Sirius shook his head. He couldn't have said why, but he knew that what Remus had said wasn't true. "The curse only affected the nursery. The rest of the house is perfectly safe" Sirius didn't voice the need he felt to see it again. A part of him wanted to see it, to remind himself there had been more to James and Lily than the constant pain and guilt that he felt.

"I still don't think its wise" Remus said. He looked at Sirius. His eyes held a look of warning, but also of understanding. That last statement wasn't just meant for Harry, it was meant for Sirius as well. Remus understood him far too well. He knew what seeing it would do to him. Sirius paused, but then pushed open the gate. He didn't stop to look at the words that he knew were shimmering there, but strode forward, his feet finding the footpath that was almost buried under the overgrown garden.

He stopped in front of the door, steeling himself for what was waiting on the other side. He could hear Harry and Remus both following. Sirius pushed open the rusted and dirty door and gasped. He didn't know what he'd expected, but it wasn't this. Aside from the dust, and the evident signs of neglect, the house looked exactly the same as it had when he'd visited James and Lily last. The day when he'd ruined everything. A dusty pram was pushed up against the wall and a basket of washing lay near the bottom of the stairs. He felt Harry move closer to his side, obviously subconsciously seeking comfort.

Sirius turned to him. "We don't have to do this. We can go back out"

Harry rubbed his eyes, pushed his glasses up his nose and shook his head firmly. "No. I have to see it. I need to"

Sirius nodded once. Despite his earlier eagerness, all he wanted now was to leave. The silence and stillness in the small house was oppressive. He closed his eyes in pain. In the whole time that James and Lily had lived here, it had never once been silent. The sound of Lily's light, almost musical laugh or James' deep chuckle had always filled the air. It broke his heart to hear it so silent.

Sirius wandered into the lounge, and his eyes were immediately caught by a large, leather bound book that must have been tossed aside when… Sirius closed his eyes in pain. Thinking about that night would only cause him more pain. He stepped forward numbly, trying to ignore James' half empty mug next to the sofa. Sirius picked the book up with trembling fingers, wiped the majority of the dust off and opened the book. Pictures of James, waving up at him, immediately greeted him. Sirius' breath hitched as he flicked through watching James grow older, along with appearances of himself, Remus, Peter and eventually Lily.

"What have you got Padfoot?" Remus asked softly, moving forward to peek over Sirius' shoulder. Sirius held up the book. Remus stopped dead, which caught Harry's attention. He looked between Remus' ashen face and the faraway look in Sirius' eyes confusedly.

"What is it?"

"It's a book" Sirius choked out, his voice cracking as he continued to watch James and himself throwing snowballs at each other. "It's a scrapbook. Remus and I made it for James and Lily as a wedding present"

Harry gasped quietly and almost ran to look at the book. He stared almost hungrily at the photos. "why is it so big? Surely you didn't have that many photos?"

Remus shook his head. "It's not finished. They were meant to add new memories"

Sirius flipped to the last photo. It was of Harry and Sirius building a tower of blocks, a tower so tall it nearly brushed the ceiling. The fifteen-month-old was sat in Sirius' arms, waving gleefully at the camera. Sirius stared at the picture of his 21-year-old self. How things had changed. The exhaustion and grief of living and fighting in a war was clear in his eyes, but the heartbreak and guilt that haunted Sirius now were absent. He watched his past self grin and hold out another block for Harry to take. A tear dripped down Sirius' cheek and he snapped the book shut.

"I guess its yours now Harry. Everything here is rightfully yours" Sirius said quietly. Harry's eyes widened as he took the book from Sirius with shaking hands. Sirius smiled slightly. Harry may not remember them but Sirius had promised to himself a long time ago that he would make sure Harry knew how much they'd loved him.

OoOoOo

"Sirius, don't be stupid!" Remus shouted over the wind. After walking through the house for hours they'd ended up at the door to the nursery. The room was missing the front wall, and nature had begun to creep through the gap. The ivy that covered most of the house had crept in here, making the walls crack where it grew. There was a long empty birds nest resting on one of the exposed ceiling beams. Everything in here was covered by burn marks. The cot that he and James had spent hours building still stood, though it was blackened and the wood was warped. The rocking chair that Lily always sat in still moved slightly in the breeze, though it too was burnt nearly beyond recognition.

"Its safe Remus" Sirius replied in a dead voice, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that fell on his cheeks. This was it. the place where a family had ended. Sirius shuddered in memory. "I came here. That day. I thought everyone was dead, but then I heard Harry. I'd already found James, but I allowed myself to hope. I hoped that somehow, James had died for a reason and that you and Lily were alive. And then, when I saw her, I felt like my heart had shattered all over again. Hagrid was there, he was holding you. I'll never forget it. you weren't old enough to understand, but you were crying as if someone had ripped your heart out" Sirius stopped speaking, unable to form his next words through the lump in his throat. He was full on sobbing now. "Hagrid and I argued about who was taking you, but then you looked at me and just said "Pahfoot stay". I- I didn't know what to do. And then I realised everything, and I let Hagrid take you. I thought the Dursleys could give you a better childhood than I ever could. I'll never forgive myself for that"

Remus caught his eye and Sirius shook his head fractionally. He was not telling Harry about why he'd thought the Dursleys could give him a better childhood. Not today. He knew it was drawing closer to the day when he'd have to tell Harry, but he just wanted this one day to mourn his best friends. Could he not have that?

Harry turned to him, his glasses slightly steamy because of his tears. "What happened next?"

Sirius looked down in anger. "I made the second biggest mistake of my life"

Harry stared at him for a moment, looking like he wanted to ask more. Then he walked forward slowly and hugged Sirius. Sirius was taken aback for a moment, but then gratefully wrapped his arms around his godson. That Harry was willing to hug him after Sirius had told him that he'd condemned him to three years of misery with the Dursleys meant a lot to him. He didn't think he'd ever been more proud of Harry than at this moment. He kissed the top of his messy head, but Harry didn't pull away. Sirius felt yet another lump form in his throat as he rest his cheek on top of Harry's head. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, each one drawing comfort from the others embrace. Remus' voice eventually made them part.

Remus was crouched down by a small cupboard, tugging on something. "Look" He breathed. In his hands were the animals that Sirius and Lily had made when Sirius had injured his knee. They had a wooden interior, but then Lily had sown fabric around them, like fur. Harry moved closer and Sirius followed, breathing slowly in an effort to stop the memories that were flooding his mind.

Harry took the cat from Remus' outstretched palm. It meowed up at him and then walked disjointedly across his hand, before curling up in the palm of his hand. Sirius' breath hitched as Harry turned to grin in amazement at him. it was the same grin that had graced his features when Lily had first handed them to the one year old.

"They're amazing! They look handmade"

Sirius smiled slightly as Remus pulled out the box containing the rest of the animals. "They are handmade. When I injured my knee, I wasn't allowed to work…or do much of anything. For two weeks Lily made me stay here. We made them together. You were going through a phase of really liking animals, so we made them"

Harry smiled at him and peeked in the box that was in Remus' hands. Remus looked at him. "You can take them if you want"

Harry looked up suddenly. "Really?"

"Sirius and Lily made them as a gift. I think Lily would be thrilled to see you marvelling at them still" Remus said softly. Sirius nodded, even though nobody could see him. He sometimes felt like James and Lily were watching over them, he'd sometimes get a feeling like they were there. Harry looked at Sirius for confirmation, he nodded again. Harry took the box and tucked it under his arm with the scrapbook. He smiled at Sirius. They'd come here today to honour the memories of James and Lily. They'd ended up rediscovering memories of the people they'd lost.

A mother. A father. A family.

_**AN: Right, I have a problem. I cannot seem to write Harry's third year. You have no idea how frustrating this is – I have it all planned out, and I was actually really excited about it. I think what I'll have to do is start the fourth year, and a new story. I'll leave this one open so that I can finish it at some point. **_

_**In over a month I've only been able to write this chapter and the next, which I'll put up tonight. It is the most annoying thing I've ever experienced with writing. **_

_**I have a title for the new story, and by the time you read this, I'll have started the first chapter. I'm so sorry to everyone who wanted to see third year – its like my brain has a block. **_

_**I hope you're OK with this, and I hope you'll check out the sequel when it goes up **_


	48. Chapter 48: Feasts and Foulness

Harry frowned slightly as he walked to the Great Hall with Remus for the feast. He felt…odd. Today had easily been one of the saddest, heart breaking days he'd ever endured but at the same time he felt a sense of peace. He felt like he knew himself better now, he felt more connected with that baby he had once been than he ever had before. He felt like he understood more too. Like he understood the people his parents had been. Remus and Sirius had always been there with a story about them when he'd asked, but hearing about them paled in comparison to seeing the house. He felt like he knew them.

Remus had the scrapbook under his arm – he said he wanted to show Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Hagrid the photos of James and Lily. Harry had gladly let him, knowing that today had been hard on both Remus and Sirius too. He'd also given Sirius the box of animals, telling him that he should let Kura and Matthew (when he was old enough) play with them. He'd said that he was sure that his mum would have wanted them to be played with, no matter who was doing the playing with them.

"I think you nearly made Sirius burst with pride, you know" Remus said softly. Harry looked at him quizzically. Remus continued. "When you gave him the animals for his children to play with"

Harry shrugged awkwardly. "Well, I think his children will get more enjoyment out of them than I can. I mean, I can marvel at them and be reminded of mum and dad, but they'll play with them"

Remus smiled at him. "Your mother would have done something like that. She was the kindest person I've ever met. You remind me of her"

Harry swelled with pride. People often told him that he looked like his parents, but it always meant so much more when he was told he acted like them. He supposed being raised with stories about them that were full of praise would do that to a person. Something Sirius had said swum back into his mind, and before he'd even really thought about it, a question fell from his lips. "What did Sirius mean when he said he made the second biggest mistake of his life?"

Remus' face stilled and he looked away. "That is not my story to tell. No, don't argue Harry," Remus warned, holding up a hand. "Its Sirius' secret. He'll tell you when he's ready"

Harry felt a surge of annoyance that Sirius didn't trust him. that annoyance was quickly replaced by guilt when he remembered the look of utter desolation and self loathing that had passed over Sirius' face when he'd spat the words out. Harry sighed. Everyone deserved their secrets. It was just so frustrating that everyone seemed to know, apart from him.

They both froze as they entered the hall. There were clouds of live bats flying around the ceiling and large orange streamers floating dreamily past peoples heads. Hagrid's giant pumpkins also floated around the hall, their carved faces lit by candles within them.

"I think you're being summoned Harry" Remus remarked, nodding towards the Gryffindor table, where Ron, Neville and Hermione were waving at them. Harry grinned at them, bid Remus goodbye and walked over to join his friends.

OoOoOo

"Oliver!" Harry half shouted as he turned to face the captain. "I know. Relax! Besides," Harry added, glancing at his watch. "It won't matter anyway if Remus murders me for being late to his lesson"

Oliver gave him a sheepish, slightly apologetic look as Harry dashed away, but he still shouted after him "Just remember he's very good at defensive seeking!"

Harry rolled his eyes as he flung himself down the defence corridor. He paused outside the door just long enough to straighten his tie and walked confidently into the classroom. He froze as soon as he stepped through the door. Professor Snape was stood at the front of the class, his eyes glittering maliciously as he surveyed the class. Harry looked at him confusedly. This was Remus' class. Snape looked up and his face curled into a sneer.

"You're late Potter. 5 points from Gryffindor. Sit down"

Harry glanced around the room – people were still filing into their seats and rummaging in their bags. It wasn't the unfairness of the loss of the points that bothered him, Snape had done far worse in the past, it was the fact that Snape, not Remus, stood at the front of the classroom and Harry didn't know why. "Where's R- Professor Lupin?"

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "I told you to sit down Potter!"

Harry remained stood in the doorway, staring at Snape in what he hoped was a demanding but respectful manner. It probably wasn't. He didn't care. "Where's Professor Lupin? Why isn't he here?"

Snape stared back at him coldly. "Your dear professor finds himself, ah…unable to teach you today. Another five points from Gryffindor, and if you do not sit down it will be 50!"

Harry walked forward and sat next to Ron, still glaring at the Potions master. He thought it was probably best for him to remain angry, rather than dwell on the other emotion that was resting heavily in his stomach. He was worried. Remus never disappeared like this; he always made sure that Harry knew where he was. Harry hated to think what it might mean that Remus had done none of these things.

A cold voice brought him away from imagining Remus on his deathbed, unable to tell Harry where he was. Snape was speaking, eyeing Remus' scruffy desk as he did so. "Professor Lupin has not left me any notes, or a schedule of any sorts, so I don't know what he was teaching you…"

Hermione's hand rose into the air. "Please sir, we've just finished studying Grindylows"

"Be quiet Miss Granger! I wasn't asking what you were studying. I was merely commenting on one of many flaws that your professor seems to possess" Snape snarled, glaring at Hermione as he spoke.

Hermione looked away from him in shame and Harry glared at him, furious that Snape would insult his family. "Professor Lupin is the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had" Dean said boldly. Ron and Seamus both nodded firmly in agreement.

Snape looked at them with such disgust that Harry was surprised nobody shrivelled in fear. "That is not saying much, given your track record of professors" He shot Harry a cold, hateful look and continued. "No, I would expect first years to be studying what you are. Today, I think we can discuss –" He flicked through the textbook he was holding and settled on a chapter at the back with a smirk. "Werewolves"

"But sir, we're meant to study hinkypunks this week. We're not meant to look at werewolves until after Easter" Hermione said, seemingly unable to stay silent at the thought of Professor Snape changing the schedule that Remus had set out at the start of term.

Snape walked forward and laid his hand on Hermione's desk, leaning forward so he met Hermione's eyes. "I was under the impression that I was the teacher, therefore I choose what we shall discuss" He stepped back from the desk and stared at the class. "Turn to page 394" There was some grumbling following his statement. "Now"

The room was filled with the sound of reluctant page turning and low grumbling. "Who can tell me the difference between a werewolf and a true wolf?" The room suddenly stilled, except for Hermione, whose hand shot into the air. Snape surveyed the class with his cold, dark eyes, deliberately ignoring Hermione's hand. "No-one? Dear me, any competent third year ought to know the answer to that. I shall have to tell Professor Dumbledore quite how behind Professor Lupin has let you fall. All third years ought to know how to identify a werewolf" A strange look passed over Snape's face and there was a strange glitter in his eyes.

"Please sir," Hermione's voice broke into the silence that had fallen. "There are five signs that identify the werewolf –"

"Silence, miss Granger! That is the third time you have spoken out of turn. Do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?" Snape snarled. Hermione looked down, with tears in her eyes. Neville went to put his arm around her shoulder, but then thought better of it and simply patted her hand. Harry glared furiously at Snape.

Ron's voice erupted from next to him, in a tone of such anger that it startled Harry. He'd only heard Ron this angry a handful of times. "You asked a question, she answered it! If you didn't want an answer, you shouldn't have asked!"

"Detention, Weasley. And if you dare criticise my methods of teaching again, detention will be the least of your worries" Snape snarled, staring at Ron in fury. He looked around the room after Ron looked away. "I said, turn to page 394"

OoOoOo

"Professor Lupin?" Harry called again, knocking loudly on the door to Remus' office. There was no answer. He knocked again, banging his whole fist on the wooden door. "Remus? Remus?"

Harry sighed in annoyance as silence fell again. He'd practically ran to the office as soon as Snape had let them leave, though only after setting them an essay on identifying and killing werewolves. The two scrolls of parchment that he wanted had only served to make Ron even angrier after his detention. He'd sworn and raged about "unfair slimy gits" until Snape had walked into them as they walked away and given Ron a week's worth of detention. Ron had been nearly apoplectic with rage as the Potions master had left and have gone off to Gryffindor tower ranting furiously to Neville and Hermione.

"Remus!" Harry shouted again, not really expecting to get an answer. He didn't. He leant back against the wall, wondering where Remus was. He knew that Remus was sickly, he often had to spend the night at St Mungo's, but he hadn't said anything to Harry about not being well. He normally did. An idea suddenly pinged into his mind, one so obvious that he was surprised that it hadn't occurred to him before. Smiling, he walked away from the office and towards the Grand Staircase.

"Harry, what are you doing up here?" A familiar voice called as Harry walked quickly to the Hospital Wing. Harry looked up to see Ginny watching him with large brown eyes.

"I'm looking for Remus – he wasn't teaching and he's not in his office." Harry looked at Ginny again. Her red hair fell around her face, not quite hiding the cut on her cheek. "What's wrong, Ginny? Why are you up here?"

Ginny smiled ruefully and moved a hand, almost subconsciously, to her cheek. "One of the Slytherins shut a door on me. I wasn't looking, and I smashed my face into it" Harry's eyes widened. Now that he looked properly, he could see a bruise already forming on her cheekbone. "It wasn't very inventive of him. He's just angry because he think that I was the one who put a dungbomb in his bag. I was, but that's beside the point. I thought I best ask Madam Pomfrey to fix it"

"That's probably wise" Almost as soon as the two of them stepped through the door, Madam Pomfrey was there, fussing over Ginny and pushing her onto a bed. Ginny sat with a frown as the matron dabbed at the wound on her cheek. Harry took the opportunity to look around the Hospital Wing. There was only one bed occupied, and it was a fifth year with green boils all over their face. Harry didn't even want to think about what had caused that.

"Potter!" Madam Pomfrey snapped from behind him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for Professor Lupin. I don't suppose you know where he is?" Harry added hopefully, not really expecting an answer. What he didn't expect was for her to give him a curious, searching look before shaking her head.

"He's not here, if that's what you mean. Anyway, I'm afraid I don't know where he is"

Harry sighed as she turned away to tend to Ginny again. He put his hands in his pockets, and shuffled rather dejectedly out of the Hospital Wing, stopping only long enough to wave at Ginny. He sighed again as the door closed behind him. If Remus wasn't in his office or the Hospital Wing, where on earth was he?

_**AN: So this is the last of my prewritten chapters. I will see this story to the end – I'm working on the next chapter now. The sequel to this, **_**The Embers of War, **_**is up now if you want to check it out. Once again, thank you for the reviews, alerts and favourites; they all mean so much to me **_

_**Until next time….**_


	49. Chapter 49: Moons and Matches

Remus shivered. The Shrieking Shack had never been known for its warmth, and tonight was no exception. Of course, the fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes didn't help matters. He was waiting for the moon. He could feel it pulling on him, urging him to let go, to lose control. But that wasn't going to happen. He'd taken wolfsbane potion every day for the last week so he'd be 'safe'. Or at least, as safe as a werewolf could be when transforming in the middle of a school with over 500 students. Dumbledore had assured him that the potion would allow him to keep complete control when he transformed, and so far it had worked, but even so.

Remus didn't want to take any chances. He didn't think it wise to do as the headmaster had said and transform in his office. There would only be a single wooden door between him and the rest of the school, and he didn't think it wise to test his control so strongly. Besides, Sirius had said they should explore the grounds, like they used to. He'd said they should do it in honour of James, try to keep his memory alive. Remus had agreed only after Dumbledore had told him about the potion.

He closed his eyes as the inexorable pull of the moon got stronger and the tremors running through his body intensified. He took in a deep breath and held it as the pull became unbearable. And then the pain hit. He could feel all the bones in his body grinding together painfully as they moved. Muscles ripped and skin tore. His face was stretching, changing. He let out an ear splitting howl and then collapsed to the floor, his limbs shaking from the aftermath of the transformation.

Padfoot entered the room eventually, his shaggy tail wagging furiously at the sight of Remus. He sat on his haunches in front of Remus and gave him a look that quite plainly said _"What are you waiting for? Come on"_

Remus followed him into the night.

OoOoOo

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be real. His eyes must be playing tricks on him. It wasn't unheard of as he recovered from the moon. That was the only logical explanation for what he was seeing. Because otherwise, it meant that Harry was lying in a bed next to him, after falling over 100 feet from his broom. And that was absurd. Remus glanced at Sirius. There was a look of utter hopelessness, pain and desolation on his handsome face. It was that more than anything that convinced him that this wasn't some sick illusion that his exhausted brain had come up with. Not even he could imagine such a heartbroken look on his best friends face.

"What happened?" Remus whispered. He wasn't sure that Sirius had heard him, but then Sirius turned a tortured face to him.

"Dementors" Sirius choked in a dead voice. He raised his eyes slowly to meet Remus'. "They invaded the pitch during the match. Harry fell… We both know what he hears. I – its impressive he stayed on his broom as long as he did"

Remus' eyes widened in horror. A chill spread through his entire body as he remembered Harry telling him of the screams that filled his ears when the hooded terrors were near him. He looked at Harry again. He looked so small, so fragile to be dealing with things like that. Older, stronger and wiser men had snapped after hearing less than that. "Why were they even there? They're not allowed on the grounds"

"They're getting hungry, Remus. They feed on human emotions, the happier the better. That's why the headmaster won't let them onto the grounds – he doesn't want them terrorising the students." Sirius shuddered slightly and his eyes took on a faraway look. Remus knew instantly what he was thinking of. Azkaban. Sirius had spent nearly three years in Azkaban before Remus had realised the truth and captured Peter, thus freeing Sirius. The years had taken their toll though. Sirius wasn't the same carefree man that he'd been. He was much more serious than he'd ever been. Sirius shook his head slightly, dragging himself from his mental demons. "Dumbledore's furious. He made sure Harry was OK, and then he went down to deal with them. As far as I'm aware, he's still down there"

Remus threw his head back onto his pillow, closing his eyes in thought. Dementors really were foul. No-one should have to endure the horror that they caused, but especially not students. It wasn't right. There was only one way to fight of a dementor, and it was not an easy spell. It was normally only taught to N.E.W.T level students, and even then, some never mastered it. The problem was, that was the only way that Remus could see of helping Harry with his dementor problem.

Sirius moved his arms next to him, revealing the small paw print that he'd had tattooed on his arm when they left school. The revelation came to him like a lightening bolt – if three students could learn on their own to become animagi, surely Remus could teach a single student to do a patronus charm? The only problem then was how. It wasn't like he could bring a dementor into the castle.

"I don't think Harry's safe here" Sirius said eventually.

Remus sighed tiredly. "Not this again? Sirius, both you and I know that he's safer here than he is at home. Pettigrew knows where the house is! With dementors all around the grounds, there's very little chance that he could even get to the castle. Besides, he wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything with all of us around"

"The dementors are why he's not safe! Look what they've done to him! I'm not particularly worried about Peter – it's only a matter of time before we catch the son of a bitch and I'm still not convinced Peter's after him. No, it's the dementors that worry me. He had such a horrible childhood before we took him that he's probably got tons of horrid memories that we know nothing of. I – I know what the dementors can do to a person, and I don't want Harry to go through that"

"If it makes you feel any better, I intend to teach him the patronus charm. That's the only thing that can fight them off, I think it'll help" Remus told him quietly.

Sirius smiled. "Why didn't I think of that? That's a really good idea"

"Of course it is, I came up with it. Even if he can't make it corporeal, it can still help against them. Though, with any luck he won't come across them again"

Sirius and Remus shared a look. They were thinking the exact same thing. Harry was like a walking incarnation of Murphy's law. He was like a magnet for trouble. Harry didn't wake up for another hour, by which time Madam Pomfrey had nearly forced Sirius to take a calming draught. He'd shaken her off casually, but the threat that she'd force it down his throat if he got any more worried was obviously haunting him. Harry's eyes slowly opened and he took in the sight of a panicky Sirius and an exhausted Remus calmly. "Hello everyone"

OoOoOo

Remus climbed out of bed gingerly. He was always stiff after a full moon, every single joint and muscle in his body normally ached. Yet another downside of being a werewolf, because there just weren't enough already. Remus sighed.

"Are you alright Remus?" Harry's voice asked from the bed next to him. Remus looked over at him as he buttoned up his shirt. He still looked a little pale, but nowhere near what he had looked like when Remus had first seen him. He watched Remus with curious eyes.

"I'm on the mend Harry. I'll be back in lessons on Monday" Remus tried to smile reassuringly at him, but he wasn't sure if it worked.

"Good. We had Snape for a cover, and I think most of the class were on the verge of killing him. He set us homework too – he wants a four foot essay!"

"Four feet? I wasn't even aware there was 4 feet of information on hinkypunks"

Harry smiled grimly. "The essay isn't on Hinkypunks. It's on identifying and killing werewolves. And…"

Remus froze. Harry was still talking, but Remus couldn't force himself to concentrate. Panic. Mind-numbing panic was the only thing that filled his brain. Identifying werewolves? He drew in a ragged breath. Remus had guarded his secret carefully for years, but Snape had blown it all with just one sentence. They knew. That was the only thought that permeated through his mind. The students would know what he was. He'd be forced to resign, or maybe even sacked – the parents wouldn't want a monster teaching their children. And then it hit him – that wasn't the worst of it. Harry would know what he was! Remus looked at him cautiously. He was still moaning about Snape.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I – " His voice caught in his throat. He didn't know what he was going to say to Harry. If he was honest, he'd known he would have to tell him soon, Remus just hadn't bargained on it being this soon.

"Sorry? It's not your fault Snape's an arse" Harry replied in a confused tone.

What? Did Harry not know? "So you haven't done the essay yet?"

Harry snorted. "Of course I haven't," Remus let out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. Harry didn't know. His secret was safe for a while longer. "Nobody's done it. Well actually, Hermione's done it"

Remus wasn't particularly worried about Hermione. He'd known she would figure it out eventually, he only hoped she had enough sense to not tell anyone. He was just relieved that the majority of students didn't know, especially Harry. He'd put off telling him for so long that he didn't know where to begin. How do you tell someone you've been lying to them for 9 years? It was just easier this way.

OoOoOo

Sirius was pacing. Remus knew that it wasn't a good sign. He knew Sirius too well, he knew that this would end one of two ways and neither would be good. Sirius turned to face him, his stormy eyes flashing in fury. Remus closed his eyes tiredly, and then opened them in time to see Sirius stride angrily towards the door.

"Sirius, stop!" Remus said firmly. It had the desired effect. The taller man stopped, his hand still holding the door handle tightly. Remus watched as he turned around, his eyes dark as he scowled.

"How dare he? What makes him think he has the right to do this?"

Remus sighed lightly. "He's bitter Sirius. We thought he would be. Not only has one of his most hated people returned to Hogwarts, but I've also taken the job that he wants more than anything"

"I don't care if he's bitter, what he's done is going too far" Sirius said in a low, furious voice. "His hatred is no excuse for exposing your furry problem. You've waited years for something like this to happen, how dare he attempt to ruin that?"

Remus looked at Sirius again. "He's doing this because in his own twisted way, he's trying to keep the students safe. I'm dangerous Sirius. You've always had trouble accepting it, but he hasn't. I think he thinks that I'm going to go on a rampage and attack the students" Remus said with a twisted, bitter smile. He knew what he was. He knew he was dangerous. And he knew that Snape was trying to keep the students safe. Though, Remus thought sardonically, he was sure that Snape would enjoy watching him lose his job.

"That's absurd Remus. You're not going to attack anybody. You take so many precautions that I'm surprised you even hurt yourself anymore. You're no more dangerous than I am!"

"You're not a werewolf Padfoot! Just leave it. I understand why he did it. It might prove ruinous, but I can't imagine it will be that bad. Please Sirius, just leave it?"

Sirius paused and stepped away from the door, his face not really showing the inner turmoil. Remus sighed as Sirius shook his head. "No, he has no right to do this. I think I'm going to have a little word with Snivellus"

Remus sighed as the door shut behind Sirius. There was nothing he could do now.


	50. Chapter 50: Woes and Werewolves

"What happened to my broom?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione shared a look, and Remus refused to meet his eye. He, Ron and Hermione were sat in Remus' office, each one of them holding a large mug of hot chocolate. Hermione had given him a very shrewd look when he'd suggested the idea, but Harry maintained that it was not an attempt at procrastination, regardless of the fact that he had transfiguration, herbology and divination homework to do. Honestly, he wanted to see if Remus was really all right. He'd assured Harry that he was, but there was something about the pallor of his skin and the dark circles under his eyes that made Harry unsure.

Hermione eventually broke the slightly awkward silence that had fallen among them. "Well, when you fell off, it was blown away by the wind…" She stopped awkwardly. "It was blown into the Whomping Willow"

Harry felt like something had punched him in the stomach. He didn't need anybody to continue speaking. The Willow was a particularly vicious tree on the grounds. He'd ran afoul of it last year, and he'd only got away because of Ron's quick thinking. His broom wouldn't have been so lucky. It would have been smashed to smithereens. Harry felt that same dull blow to his stomach. His broom was gone. He'd loved that broom – it had been a gift from Sirius and Remus when he made the Gryffindor team.

"Don't worry about it now, Harry," Remus said quietly. "We'll get you a new one"

Harry looked away and sighed bitterly. It all came down to the dementors. He hated them, hated them with such intensity that it almost hurt. Remus had told him that he would teach Harry to fight them off, but, as Fred had told him earlier, they'd lost the match. George and Angelina had both assured him that it wasn't his fault, and that they weren't out of the running for the cup, but Harry was unconvinced. They'd lost the match, and potentially the cup, all because of his own stupid weakness to the dementors. The loss of his broom then, was just the icing on the cake.

OoOoOo

The rest of November passed in a haze of rain. Malfoy finally removed his bandages and celebrated by imitating Harry falling off his broom every time they were in the same room. He'd also taken to pulling his hood up and waving his arms in an attempt to imitate a dementor. Ron was apparently more annoyed by it than he was, as he managed to get another detention from Snape for throwing a crocodile heart at Malfoy in the middle of potions. It had hit the blonde haired Slytherin directly in the face, but Snape had failed to see the funny side and had taken fifty points from Gryffindor as well.

Ravenclaw had beaten Hufflepuff at the end of the month, and, as Wood had told them all excitedly, it meant that they weren't out of the running for the cup after all. As per usual, he'd resumed his Quidditch obsession and was demanding that they practice six nights a week. Harry was stuck on one of the school brooms – Remus' promise had proven false. However, Sirius became strangely tight lipped when Harry mentioned broomsticks. He was sure there was something going on that he didn't know about. Come to think of it, he was sure there were lots of things going on that he didn't know about.

Like his current situation. He always went to see Remus on a Thursday afternoon after divination, so that Harry could moan about Trelawney and Remus could reassure him that she was just making it all up. Except this week, Remus wasn't there. Harry had hammered on his office door for at least a minute and had then checked the Hospital Wing. As Harry had expected, he hadn't been there either. These disappearances were happening a bit too often to be sheer coincidence. Truth be told, he was incredibly worried about Remus. Without Remus, there was only one person Harry knew well enough to feel comfortable with. Only one other person he could go to for help.

"Sirius Black" Harry called into the mirror after barricading himself in an empty classroom. He didn't want anybody walking in on him. The mirror remained blank for a minute and then Alex's face appeared.

"Harry, hello. What can I do for you?"

Harry tried not to let the disappointment show on his face. He loved Alex fiercely, but she wasn't Sirius. "Do you know where Sirius is? I want to talk to him"

Alex looked down for a moment and then met Harry's eyes. She shook her head slightly. "He's at work, Harry. They got a lead on the Pettigrew case, somewhere near Glasgow. He's gone up to check. If something's wrong though, I'm more than happy to help"

Harry smiled at the offer. Normally he loved talking to Alex, but he couldn't today. He needed to find out what was going on with Remus. He was sure now that Sirius was involved, he'd spoken to him only yesterday and he'd told Harry that the case wasn't going anywhere. Harry found it quite unlikely that so much had happened in one day. "Oh it's nothing, I just wanted to talk to Sirius. It's nothing major"

Alex gave him a piercing look that made Harry suspect she knew something about what was going on. Harry suppressed a sigh. Did everybody know what was going on, except for him? "Well, if you're sure Harry. We'll see you soon though; I think Sirius is planning something for the next Hogsmeade trip. Bye Harry"

Harry bid her farewell and stowed the mirror in his pocket. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was people lying to him. It wasn't so much the actual lie; it was more the fact that they obviously didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. And that hurt.

OoOoOo

Harry walked into Remus' office calmly enough, but when he looked up at Remus sat in his chair, sipping at a large mug of hot chocolate, he lost it. He was tired of people keeping things from him, people thinking he was stupid. Remus frowned as he caught the furious look in Harry's eyes.

"What's wrong Harry? Has something happened?"

Remus spoke calmly, but it just made Harry angrier. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you"

"Harry, I've been ill. I was in the h-"

"Don't lie Remus. I know you weren't in the Hospital Wing, I checked. Do you think I'm an idiot? Did you think I wouldn't notice that something was going on?"

The blood drained from Remus' face. It was quite frightening how ill he suddenly looked. "Harry, I…." He trailed off, apparently at a loss for words. Harry was having none of it.

"Answer my question! What on earth is going on?"

Remus looked him straight in the eye. Harry could see the conflict and doubt there. All of a sudden, he felt awfully guilty over coming in and shouting at him. Remus sighed and beckoned Harry closer. He struggled to his feet, Harry moved forward worriedly to help him, but Remus shook him off. He led Harry into the small lounge that was part of his private chambers. He gingerly sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to him, with an attempt at a reassuring smile. Harry took the seat slightly awkwardly, still feeling slightly guilty.

"Harry, I'm going to tell you something I should have told you a very long time ago," Remus took a deep breath. "I've always told you that I was ill. That's not strictly true… I'm a werewolf"

Harry's eyes widened. He was about to joke, to laugh off what Remus had said, but there was something about the sadness in his eyes as he watched Harry that convinced him Remus was telling the truth. He was staggered. A werewolf? As he thought about it, it all made sense. But still… Remus? He'd been taught at school that werewolves were savage beasts, who took great joy in mauling people, and yet, he couldn't connect that image with kind, caring Remus. It didn't make sense.

Remus looked at him sadly. "It's alright if you're scared of me. Hell, sometimes I'm scared of myself," He suddenly became serious again. "I can leave" He began to struggle to his feet. Harry laid a hand on his arm.

"I'm not scared. You are the kindest, most gentle person I know," Remus gave him a lopsided, sarcastic smile. "You're Remus. Just Remus. It doesn't matter to me"

Remus looked at him for a long time, almost as if searching for something. Harry stared back, refusing to break eye contact. Eventually, and very slowly, Remus moved his arms forward and enveloped Harry in a hug. Harry smiled and hugged Remus back fiercely. Looking back, he could never be sure if he heard it or not, but Harry could swear he heard Remus whisper "Thank you"

OoOoOo

"I'm incredibly proud of you," Sirius told Harry as they sat in Remus' office. He was at a staff meeting, so Sirius had capitalised on his absence and told Harry to meet him in Remus' office. Harry looked at him quizzically. "For how you handled Remus' secret yesterday"

"How else was I meant to have handled it? It's Remus. It's not like he's suddenly changed" Harry replied quickly. Sirius smiled softly.

"And that is why I'm so proud, Harry. Not many people would have been so calm," Sirius smiled at him again, before turning serious once again. "There is a lot of prejudice against werewolves in our world"

"Why? It's not like it's his fault! I'm sure he doesn't choose to be a werewolf!"

"Of course he doesn't. But some werewolves, not Remus, can be very dangerous," He looked at Harry's indignant face. "There are those who deliberately attack people. There was one, during the war, who used to attack children when their parents refused Voldemort."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "That's horrible. But Remus isn't like that!"

Sirius shook his head. "No, he's not. But it doesn't matter. As soon as most people know what he is, they normally run a mile. That's why he doesn't tell anybody," Sirius stared into the distance. "That's why he didn't tell any of us at school. He thought we'd be scared of him and that we wouldn't want to be his friends"

Harry stared at him. Sirius and Remus were so close now that Harry had difficulty imagining that. Sirius continued speaking. "That's why he didn't tell you, Harry. He was scared that you wouldn't love him anymore"

Harry scoffed loudly. "Of course I still love him! That's not going to change just because he's got a…problem"

Sirius looked at him for a second and then burst out laughing. Harry looked at him strangely. Sirius eventually calmed down. "You are so like your dad. He called it Remus' furry little problem. At school, most people were under the impression he had a badly behaved rabbit"

Harry sniggered. An idea came to him then, an idea so strange, and that had been stored in the back of his mind for so long that he marvelled that he'd even come up with it. "Is that why you became animagi?"

Sirius gave him a strange look. "Yes it is. He used to come back so beaten up that we wanted to help him. Lily mentioned in class one day that werewolves couldn't infect other animals, and we just kind of ran with the idea"

It was all making sense. All the pieces of the puzzle that he'd had for years were falling into place. "Moony" He breathed. That nickname finally made sense now.

"You can't tell anyone, Harry. You have to promise" Sirius said, suddenly serious again.

Harry nodded slowly. "Of course I won't tell anyone," Sirius relaxed again, slumping back into his seat. "Wait, Snape knows, doesn't he? I mean, when he covered – The essay!"

"Relax Harry! No one did the essay, Remus made sure of that. And I've, er, dealt with Snape. We had a little chat"

Harry raised his eyebrows suspiciously. Sirius and Snape hated each other. He had a distinct impression, which was confirmed by the way that Sirius refused to meet his eye, that this 'chat' very quickly deteorated into shouting and threats. Harry looked at Sirius again and shivered slightly. He definitely would not want to be on the receiving end of a threat from Sirius. Or Snape, come to think of it. They were both scary when they wanted to be.

_**AN: I am so sorry for the wait for this chapter – I was watching the Olympics. As a Brit, they made me incredibly proud. Anyway, I know a lot of people have wanted this revelation, and I hope I did it justice. Please let me know what you think.**_


	51. Chapter 51: Azkaban and Answers

Sirius ground his teeth together in frustration. Nothing had been going right since the beginning of November. First Snape had nearly blown Remus' secret, leading Sirius to go and threaten him (it had started as a perfectly polite conversation, but had very quickly turned into the two of them shouting at each other. Sirius had reminded him that he was the only heir of one of the darkest wizarding families, and the argument had finally ended when Sirius had told him that if he dared give anyone the slightest hint of Remus' lycanthropy, Sirius would be forced to bring out some of the darkest magic that the Black family had kept. Snape, who'd known Regulus at school, knew that he was speaking the truth and had gone awfully pale at the threat. He also knew that, as an auror, Sirius likely knew some horrifying spells). Then Harry had fallen from his broom and nearly died, Kura and Matthew had both caught Muggle chicken pox and then Harry had found out about Remus' secret. The continued search for Pettigrew was still yielding no results, and now he was coming under increasing pressure for it. The newest issue was just icing on the very sour cake. All in all, Sirius would have been glad when the Christmas holidays started. He had to get through today first.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm going to have to call off our plans for today," Sirius told a rather dejected looking Harry. He had been planning on taking Harry, Kura and Matthew to the Worcester Christmas market, but not anymore. "I've been told I have to patrol Hogsmeade while the students are there. I'm so sorry"

Harry looked down at his feet and pulled the woolly hat sullenly off his head. Sirius felt, if possible, even guiltier about the whole thing. Harry refused to look up as he spoke. "That's okay. Maybe next year"

"I'm so sorry Harry. I wasn't meant to be working this weekend, but two of the aurors dropped out. There's a bug going round the office," Harry still refused to look up. "I could still take you home early. I know Alex and Kura still want to see you today"

Harry looked around the empty classroom, still refusing to meet Sirius' eyes. "No, I think I'll stay here. I've got some work to do – I'd rather do it now than at home"

"Are you sure Harry?" Sirius asked quietly. He felt awful for doing this to Harry.

Harry nodded. "Have fun in Hogsmeade"

Sirius flinched at the bitter tone of Harry's voice. Harry was just making him feel more and more guilty as time wore on. Sirius stepped forward to give Harry a hug, but Harry chose that exact moment to begin rummaging in his bag. He bade Sirius a quick farewell and practically ran out of the room, leaving Sirius standing alone in the empty classroom. Never before had Harry outright refused a hug. Fighting tears, Sirius made his lonely way to Hogsmeade.

OoOoOo

Sirius was sat in the three broomsticks, a glass of firewhiskey in front of him. He was sat with Remus, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, Hagrid, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Madam Rosmerta. She was busy lecturing Fudge about the dementors.

"They're on patrol every night! They're scaring all my customers away… not that I blame them, horrible things those dementors are"

Fudge shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't like them any more than you do. But they're necessary… Not that Dumbledore sees it that way"

"And I, for one, am very glad of that," Professor McGonagall said sharply. Both Remus and Flitwick raised their glasses in agreement. "I'm sure you've heard what happened the last time they got on to the grounds. They nearly killed Harry Potter"

Fudge shifted uncomfortably again, raising a hand to stop Hagrid's angry retort. "They're here to protect the students, teachers and citizens of Hogsmeade from Pettigrew. We know what he's capable of"

Sirius and Remus shared dark looks. Madam Rosmerta looked at Fudge quickly. "But you really think he'd come here? I knew Pettigrew when he was younger. I would never have thought he'd have been capable of any of this"

Sirius smiled humourlessly and said in a dark tone, "Pettigrew did many things that none of us thought him capable of"

Most of the people present looked at him awkwardly. Finally, McGonagall spoke, "I'm sorry to say that I believed it. It just fit so well and –"

"I was a good person to blame. Everything was tallied against me – what people knew, my family history, the physical evidence… It's OK. If I were you, I would have blamed me. We fixed it, and that's all that matters" Sirius said tonelessly. He'd thought about this for years and he'd finally come to the conclusion that he understood. He wished more than anything that things had been different, but he understood. He had been the perfect person to blame. The man with a dark family, many of whom were known death eaters. He supposed most people had thought it fitting – you couldn't escape your family forever. Everybody had known him as the secret keeper, which after all, had been the point.

"Regardless," Professor Flitwick said in high-pitched voice. "You endured nearly three years in Azkaban because nobody trusted you enough to talk to you"

Sirius spotted the heartbroken look in Remus' eyes that he was normally so good at hiding. "No," Sirius said firmly. "I spent nearly three years in Azkaban because of the cowardly actions of a rat, who betrayed us all. He betrayed James and Lily to their deaths, Harry to a life with magic hating muggles, Remus to a life of loneliness and me to Azkaban," Sirius stopped and met Remus' eye. "I still don't think I got the worst of it"

Remus put a hand on his shoulder gently. Fudge glanced at the pair of them sympathetically as Sirius raised his glass to his lips. All of a sudden, there was a commotion from a table behind the large Christmas tree next to their table. Sirius swore he heard Hermione hiss "no" and then Harry appeared in front of their table, ripping the invisibility cloak off his shoulders. He was shaking with fury and glaring at Sirius with such anger that Sirius found it quite disturbing. There were numerous alarmed cries of "Harry!" and "Mr Potter!" but he ignored them all.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He shouted at Sirius. Sirius refused to break eye contact as he rose to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me what he did to you?"

"Harry, calm down and we can talk about this"

"So you can lie to me again? I don't think so" Harry retorted furiously, and then, before Sirius could do anything, Harry pulled the cloak back on and ran.

Sirius sighed and then took off after him. If you could say one thing about Harry, Sirius thought bitterly as he threw himself along the path, it would have to be that he was fast. The snowy footprints that he was following suddenly stopped and a depression in the snow on a large bolder in front of him told him where he was.

Sirius took a deep breath and turned around. Remus was stood there, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath and Ron, Hermione and Neville were all stood behind him. "I don't think we need an audience for this" He panted, giving Remus a significant look.

Remus eventually nodded. "OK, we'll be at the Broomsticks" He turned around and began to shephard Harry's friends back the way they came.

As soon as they left, Sirius moved over to where Harry was and pulled the invisibility cloak off. He was glaring at the ground with such intensity that Sirius was half surprised that the snow hadn't begun to melt. He waited patiently for Harry to break the silence.

He did so, eventually. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I never lied to you. I just didn't ever go out of my way to tell you," Harry shot him an exasperated look that told Sirius he wasn't in the mood for anything but the truth. Sirius took a deep breath. "Because it's not an easy subject for me to talk about," He sighed slowly. "For you to understand, you need to know the whole story. You remember me telling you that Peter was your parents secret keeper?" Harry nodded slowly, apparently not sure where this story was going.

"He was only secret keeper because I suggested him. James and Lily asked me, but I refused. I was the obvious choice, you see. I suggested Peter, because nobody in their right mind would have thought they'd choose him. I was trying to keep you all safe! It didn't matter if Voldemort himself came after me, I couldn't tell him where they were," Sirius looked down in fury. "It was the biggest mistake I've ever made. We knew there was a spy in the Order, but nobody ever suspected Peter. I mean, why would you suspect the worst wizard in the order? But, as soon as they made him the secret keeper, the little rat scarpered to Voldemort and told him"

Harry remained silent. Sirius took a deep breath and continued. "When I realised what he'd done, I went after him. I finally cornered him, but then started blaming me. 'James and Lily, Sirius, how could you'", Sirius shuddered slightly. "Never in my life have I been so angry that I wanted to kill somebody, but at that moment I wanted to murder him with my bare hands. He'd destroyed nearly everything that I held dear. I raised my wand, but he was quicker. He had his wand behind his back and he blew up the street. He cut off his finger, transformed into a rat and fled into the sewers"

Sirius let out a low, rather canine sounding growl. Just thinking about it made Sirius furious. Harry looked up at him. "And they thought you'd done it! I guess you were the only person left?"

Sirius looked down. He answered Harry in an oddly hollow voice. "The only one left alive. Peter's curse killed 12 innocent muggles," Harry stared at him in horror. "But really, it was just another nail in my coffin. It was widely known that I was your mum and dads secret keeper. I come from a very dark family, Harry, and everything fit," Sirius closed his eyes in pain. "So they put me in Azkaban, in the high security wing, without a trial. I was a prisoner for nearly three years, until Remus caught Pettigrew"

Harry gaped at him. "Remus caught the rat? But – how?"

"He came to see me in Azkaban, and I told him the truth. He didn't believe me at first, I thought I'd blown it. I thought I'd be left to rot in Azkaban, but then Remus came back. Told me he believed me and that he would look for Pettigrew," Sirius stopped and took another deep breath. "He found him at the Weasley's"

"WHAT? But they wouldn't…"

"Of course they wouldn't. Percy rescued a stray rat," Sirius gave Harry a significant look. Understanding dawned on his face. "Remus recognized him"

"Oh," Harry eventually said when he realised that Sirius had stopped speaking. Sirius could tell by just a swift glance that there was a fierce debate going on behind Harry's green eyes. Sirius couldn't blame him. It was quite a revelation. In the past fortnight or so, Harry had learned that both of his guardians had been lying to him for years. Sirius couldn't blame him for being angry in the slightest, but there was the slight matter of Harry being in Hogsmeade when they both knew he wasn't allowed.

"Harry, why are you in Hogsmeade? You know you're not allowed"

Harry flushed slightly and then turned to glare angrily at him. "Don't try and turn this around and blame me. You're the one who's been lying to me for nine years!"

Sirius sighed quietly. If he was honest, he thought Harry might try something like this. "Yes, and I'm very sorry for that, but I'm not the one who has a murderer after them"

Harry looked away sheepishly. "Why did you lie? Why did you both lie?"

Sirius looked away. He'd never really known why he was lying to Harry; he'd just known that it never seemed the right time to tell him. At first, his reluctance had been logical – he didn't want to scare Harry. But as he'd grown older, he wasn't sure what had made him keep his silence. "I don't know. I didn't want to scare you at first, and then, it was just easier I guess. It's not an easy thing for me to discuss. I still have nightmares about it sometimes"

Harry stared at him, apparently aghast at Sirius admitting a weakness. Sirius smiled humourlessly. There was a long pause. Eventually, "I'm sorry. I was just so angry, I thought you didn't trust me, and…" Harry trailed off.

Sirius put an arm around his shoulders reassuringly. "I understand Harry. Being angry is fine, but getting yourself, or your friends, into potentially dangerous situations is not. I'm very sorry for not telling you the truth, and I want you to know that I do trust you. Completely"

Harry perked up slightly. "Yeah?," He looked Sirius straight in the eye. "Any more secrets that I should know about?"

Sirius looked at him, the spark of mischief was quite plain in his eyes. "When I lived on my own, I managed to set fire to my kitchen making toast"

Harry sniggered and then sobered, looking at him seriously. "No more secrets?"

Sirius smiled lightly. "No more secrets," Sirius agreed. "So, how did you get into Hogsmeade?"

_**AN: Sorry about the wait. I've been volunteering, and then writing my dissertation. Whilst watching the Paralympics. Please let me know what you think about this chapter**_


	52. Chapter 52: Trains and Toys

Harry watched Ron rub at his singed eyes gingerly. He stifled a snigger. He and Ron had been playing Exploding snap and much to Harry's amusement, they had exploded with such force that they'd very nearly set fire to his eyebrows.

"That's a good look, Ron" Harry told him softly, trying not to disturb Hermione from her textbook.

Ron shot him a scathing look. "Shove off Harry!" He squinted at the snow filled window as the train raced through the Scottish highlands and rubbed his eyebrows again, grimacing. He looked at Harry again. "What did McGonagall do to you yesterday?"

It was Harry's turn to grimace. After he'd spoken to Sirius, the man had quite calmly handed him over to the furious deputy headmistress. She'd shouted at him the entire way back to the castle. "She's given me detention for a week when we get back, and took 70 points from Gryffindor," Ron gave him a sympathetic look. Harry continued dully. "Sirius confiscated the map, Remus told me off for at least an hour and they've both told me that, because Tonks is coming over for Christmas, I get to help them clean the house… and I'm not allowed to use magic"

Hermione made a noise in her throat next to him; the tone of it suggested quite plainly that she thought Harry's punishment was justified. She dragged her concentration away from her book long enough to say, "Well, you were forbidden from going to Hogsmeade"

Ron shot Hermione a scandalised look. "Give the man a break Hermione. He was going stir crazy, sitting in the castle"

Hermione looked at Ron sternly. "He was in the castle, because he's safe there. Going to Hogsmeade was really quite dangerous"

"How thick would Pettigrew have to be to attack Hogsmeade while Sirius and Remus were both there? Harry was probably safer there than at the castle" Ron shot back. Harry watched them argue bemusedly. They could argue over anything. Including him apparently.

"Dumbledore was at the castle! Harry was safe there"

Harry looked away quickly. Sirius had told him to keep the invisibility cloak nearby wherever he went, hence why he hadn't taken that from Harry too. He hadn't said why, but Harry could guess. Sirius wasn't convinced that he was safe. Harry was there when Remus had said that Peter could be in the walls, and all of a sudden, he'd been much more willing to do as Sirius asked. The thought of a murderer hiding in the walls was not a pleasant one.

"Does it matter?" Harry interjected quickly. Hermione and Ron turned to face him, almost as if surprised that he was there. "It was stupid of me to go, and I got caught, which I probably deserved. But I think I'd do it again if I had to. I don't like being confined or trapped in places" He never had. He suspected it was because he'd always been trapped at the Dursleys. Not that he could remember much of that hateful place, but he could remember the feeling of being confined. That had never left him, and he didn't think it ever would.

OoOoOo

There was a loud squeal and then Harry found himself nearly being bowled over. Once he'd regained his balance (by grabbing Ron's shoulder), he smiled. It didn't take a genius to work out what had just happened. He looked down, and sure enough a dark, curly haired child had her arms wrapped around his legs. Ron was grumbling about his shoulder next to him, but Harry ignored him and picked Kura up. As soon as she could reach, she threw her small arms around his neck.

Harry smiled as she began exclaiming excitedly about how he was finally home, her voice muffled as she spoke into his collar. He caught the odd word or two, "Christmas" and "Tonks". And then she said the one thing that tugged on his heartstrings. "I missed you"

His grin became, if possible, even wider. Those three words meant so much to him. They meant he had what he'd always wanted. A family. People who loved him. And to someone who'd lost everybody who was meant to love him, those words meant the world to him.

"I missed you too Kura" Harry told her seriously. She smiled sweetly up at him. Harry gently set her on top of his trunk and began to walk in the direction she'd come, Kura happily pulling faces at Neville as Harry pushed her through the throng of people who crowded the platform. As per usual, Harry attracted quite a few curious stares, but he ignored them as Remus had always advised him.

Harry caught a glimpse of Sirius' face through the crowd. He smiled and Harry waved. Despite the fact that Harry had seen him yesterday, the sight of him filled him with joy. Wherever Sirius was, Harry felt at home. He'd felt that way ever since Sirius had pulled him out of his cupboard all those years ago. There was such warmth in his voice when he spoke to Harry, even when he was telling Harry off, which thankfully, given how good he was at shouting, wasn't very often.

Kura jumped off the front of the trolley, waving briefly at Hermione's parents, and skipped over to Fred and George. Sirius smiled at Harry and pulled him into a hug. He'd obviously decided to ignore the argument they'd had yesterday, which Harry was rather glad about. He felt rather awkward about the whole thing. He still thought his actions were completely justified, but he also understood perfectly why Sirius and Remus were angry with him.

Alex was watching him calmly, but Harry still squirmed inside when he met her dark eyes. She'd never really told him off, maintaining that she didn't want to intrude when Harry was younger, but it was always obvious when she was disappointed in him, like now. Harry wanted the ground to swallow him whole when he locked eyes with her. She'd been so nice to him that he had never wanted to ever disappoint her. She smiled broadly at him, but it didn't quite hide the emotion in her eyes. "You've grown again Harry! You'll be taller than me soon"

Harry smiled sheepishly at her. The top of his head was level with her forehead. She was holding Matthew in one arm but she held the other arm out for a hug. Harry hugged her cheerfully, dodging as Matthew reached a pudgy hand out to grab Harry's glasses off his face. After having dealt with Kura as a baby, Harry knew there was something about his glasses that caught the attention of small children. He was a deft hand at getting away with his sight intact.

Sirius grabbed his shoulder. "We best go. I told Moony we'd be home in time for you to help him clean the basement"

Harry groaned loudly. Sirius gave him a sympathetic half smile. Harry waved morosely to his friends. He turned to Hermione and Neville, "I'll see you at New Year, and," turning to Ron, he added "I'll see you on Christmas Eve"

Sirius put Kura on his shoulders, swept an arm around Harry's shoulders and led him towards the barrier. In an offhand voice, he added, "We've got it sorted that Tonks will be staying in Kura's room, so you can have the fun of helping her tidy her room"

Harry groaned again.

OoOoOo

Harry turned serious as Kura's head lolled against the car window. He'd forced himself to remain cheerful while she'd been awake and talking to him, but now that she was asleep the topic that had been bothering him since yesterday swum to the forefront of his mind, wiping the amused smile off his face.

"Sirius? How is the hunt for Pettigrew going? Have you found any trace of him?" Meaning, of course, did I do something incredibly stupid yesterday, or just relatively stupid?

Sirius gave him a very penetrating look via the rear-view mirror, giving Harry the distinct impression that he'd seen through Harry's charade. "There's no sign of him in Hogsmeade, or at the castle"

Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. He hadn't drawn Pettigrew in yesterday, which had been his guardians, and later his, main fear. If someone had been hurt because he'd defied what Sirius and Remus told him, he didn't think he could live with that.

"Let's not make a habit of going into Hogsmeade though, shall we?" Alex asked pointedly.

Harry shook his head. "No. I won't go again" Not that he could anyway. Sirius had taken the map, and he'd told Harry that he would be casting spells on all of the passages – both to keep the students in and to keep Pettigrew out, he'd told Harry with a frown. Harry was sure they wouldn't be particularly horrible spells, but he wasn't particularly willing to try that out. Hogsmeade wasn't worth that.

OoOoOo

Harry sighed loudly. He and Kura were meant to be tidying her room, but as Harry had suspected, they weren't getting very far. As Harry dug through the pile of toys that she'd rather artfully arranged at the end of her bed (and forbidden anyone from touching), and begun putting them away, Kura had 'rediscovered' toys that, apparently, "She'd forgotten even existed". Which of course, to a four year old, meant an obligation to play with them again. Harry had to conclude that it wasn't very easy to tidy the room when Kura had decided that her floor was now a zoo. It led to quite a few strangled shrieks, both from Harry and from the animals that he trod on.

"Stop!" Kura ordered. Harry froze, one foot in the air and a stack of books balanced rather precariously in his arms. "You nearly trod on Ron!" She shot him an irritated look and scooped a small griffin off the floor.

Harry put his foot down heavily. "Sorry" He said rather sarcastically. He couldn't decide if he was amused that she'd named one of her toys after his best friend or irritated that she was making his job of tidying much more awkward. He placed the books individually on the bookcase and began to round up the dragons that were flying around the room, dodging the family of lions that had decided they were going to make a home around his foot.

By the time Harry had convinced Kura that turning her floor into a zoo wasn't very productive when tidying your room, many of the animals had actually escaped the purple bedroom. He quickly caught the monkeys that were climbing up his leg and deposited them in the box.

"You let them escape! The hippogr'ffs, unicorns and tigers have gone!" Kura accused as Harry helped untangle a phoenix from her thick black hair. Harry stared at her in shock. He thought it was rather rich of her to tell him off for letting them escape, considering she was the one who'd got them all out and Harry had been busy trying to catch the Norwegian Ridgeback that had eluded him for nearly ten minutes, but he didn't say anything. He knew it would provoke an angry reaction from her, and she had an awful temper when she wanted it. "We'll have to find them now"

A muffled shout of alarm reached them from downstairs. Harry winced. "I think some of them might have found your dad already"

Kura grinned at him sheepishly. She handed him the box and ran out of the bedroom door before Harry could even blink. He shut the door firmly as he left the room (just in case they'd missed any in her room), and followed her downstairs. The sight that met his eyes when he entered the living room was one that he could honestly say he'd never expected to see.

Kura was leaning over the back of the sofa, her feet in the air as she rummaged at the back and Sirius was flapping his hands quickly, in an effort to keep the two hippogriffs away from his face, which they'd obviously taken a liking to. Jethro, who'd been asleep in front of the fire, was staring, nose to nose, at a group of tigers, who apparently wanted the dog's spot in front of the fire. He couldn't help himself – he laughed. Once he started, it was incredibly difficult to stop, even when Sirius shot him a furious look. It just made him laugh harder. Still chortling, Harry began to round up the escaped animals, saving his dog then godfather in the process.

Sirius wasn't impressed. "I was just reading the paper innocently, and they attacked my face! Completely out of the blue!" He rubbed his nose, which they had repeatedly flown into. "You were meant to be tidying, not setting them free"

Harry shot him an irritated look. "I was too busy catching dragons"

"Ah, tricky creatures, dragons," Sirius said with a smile. Harry was vividly reminded of the time when one of his own toy dragons had decided that Sirius' hair made a much better bed than the box that it had come in. Harry smirked at the memory. Obviously knowing what Harry was thinking, Sirius' smile slid off his face, to be replaced by a scowl. "That wasn't funny, you know. Anyway, I need a hand tidying the attic, if you don't mind?"

Meaning, of course, this is part of your punishment, so you're doing it anyway, but I want to keep the tone polite. Harry sighed. There wasn't much of an attic now that most of it was Harry's bedroom, but he was willing to bet it was filled with all sorts of rubbish. The thought of tidying it filled him with dread. It was times like this that he always made stupid promises to himself, ones he could never keep. Like never getting into trouble again. "Can I use my wand?"

Sirius looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You know full well it's illegal for underage students to use magic outside of school. Besides," Sirius told him. Harry's heart was sinking with every word. "It wouldn't be much of a punishment if you could use your wand, would it?"

Harry groaned. He did think it was slightly hypocritical of Sirius to tell what was illegal, given Sirius' past, but he didn't tell him that. That would not gain a good reaction. Especially when Sirius probably wasn't in the best of moods anyway. Being attacked by a pair of mini hippogriffs tended to do that to a person. Still, Sirius could have made his punishment a lot worse. He could have made Harry go food shopping with Alex and Kura. Shuddering at the thought, Harry handed his wand over to Sirius and started to walk towards the stairs, dragging his feet as he went.

Sirius gave him a playful nudge. "Oh come on, it's not as bad as that. Besides," He added, his face splitting into a smile. "It might even be fun"

Harry smiled to himself. Punishments with Sirius were always the best, simply because he always made them relatively fun. He thought forcing Harry to do something that he didn't want to do was punishment enough, so he was never as strict as Remus was when he punished Harry. Feeling slightly better about the whole thing, Harry walked forward with his head held high and a slight smile playing around the corners of his mouth.

_**AN: Sorry about the wait for this, but there's more bad news coming I'm afraid. I started uni again a week ago, and to say I have a lot of coursework to do would be an understatement. It sucks because I seem to be in the perfect frame of mind for writing. I don't have time for anything at the minute (finding time for Doctor Who and Merlin is pushing it). I'm sorry, and I really hope you guys have the patience to stick with me on this.**_

_**Please let me know what you think about this chapter x**_


	53. Chapter 53: Decorations and Decisions

Nymphadora Tonks was stood in the doorway, spiky pink hair barely visible over the large amount of parcels in her arms. The bright wrapping paper on them clashed horribly with her hair, but she either hadn't noticed or didn't care. "Wotcher Remus!"

How she could tell that it was Remus who'd answered the door was beyond him, as her eyes were hidden behind the parcels. The parcels were balanced a bit precariously, and, knowing how clumsy she could be, Remus thought it wise to take them off her. "Would you like a hand?"

Her grateful smile came into view as Remus lifted the parcels from her. "Thanks" She smiled sweetly at him and hopped through the door, only tripping slightly on the doorframe. Remus tried to keep a straight face when she smiled at him. It seemed to make his brain turn to mush. He shook his head quickly and gestured for Tonks to lead the way into the lounge. As soon as she opened the door, Tonks froze in the doorway. "Oh, the tree looks beautiful!"

Having managed to stop just in time to avoid knocking into Tonks, Remus looked over her shoulder to admire the tree that had taken three hours to decorate (though that had been because they'd had to stop halfway through when Sirius had very nearly hung himself with the lights). The star on the top brushed the ceiling lightly, but the tree itself was the real spectacle. Sirius had gone a little overboard creating magical snow, though Remus had to concur, despite his initial protests, that it did look good. The wooden animals and symbols that Sirius and Harry often carved together were hanging off the tree gently.

"Don't tell Sirius that" Remus warned as he eyed up the space under the tree, trying to work out where to put the small mountain of presents that Tonks had bought.

"Why not?" Tonks asked. She tripped on the rug, but managed to land on her knees, quite clearly pretending it was deliberate. Remus wisely didn't say anything as he carefully knelt next to her.

"Because I don't think his head would fit through the door when he gets home"

Tonks smirked at him. Remus looked away quickly and busied himself with rearranging the presents under the tree, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. He hated that she had this effect on him when he knew that everything about it was wrong. She was young and had a bright future; he was old, poor and cursed. She was bright, bubbly and full of fun, he was none of those things. They were different in every way, and not in a good way.

Remus looked up sliding a present under the tree and froze. Her heart shaped face was less than six inches from his own, her dark eyes tracing the old scars on his face. He didn't dare move as she stared at him. His breath hitched as she met his eyes. The world seemed to tilt and shake, and she was the only thing left. She was his lifeline, the one safe place in the whirling storm that was his life. The moment stretched on, seemingly forever. And the connection between them, the magnetism, just seemed to grow, to increase in intensity until it was almost painful. But still he didn't move. Couldn't move. Her eyes held him captive, kept his eyes gazing into her own. And in that moment, all his previous arguments fell away. Why was he resisting when this felt so right?

And then, in an instant, that perfect, eternal moment shattered. "What's going o – OW!" Harry's voice interrupted them. The moment was broken and Remus pulled away from Tonks and stood up quickly, just in time to see Harry throw Sirius a furious look. "Why did you just hit me? I've done nothing!"

Sirius looked at him calmly, his arms full of firewood. "I didn't hit you. You stopped in the doorway and I walked into you"

There was something about the tone of Sirius' voice that suggested he wasn't being quite honest, but as Remus was blushing so fiercely that his face was radiating heat, he decided not to call Sirius on it. He focused instead on avoiding everybody's gaze, especially Tonks, and quelling the foolish, romantic part of him that seemed to have awakened and was screaming at him to grab Tonks and kiss her passionately. That would only make things worse.

OoOoOo

Remus was hiding. Well, hiding was a bit of a strong term. He was just making a conscious effort to not be in the same room as a certain bright haired metamorphagus. He was exhausted after a day of arguing with himself, and so he'd simply decided to avoid the cause of his internal debate. He'd even managed to spit out a half decent excuse before leaving them, though he had a horrible feeling Sirius hadn't been convinced by it. He'd certainly had a very smug smirk on his face as he'd watched Remus scurry out of the living room where the rest of them were sitting.

Remus was sat at his desk in silence, deep in thought. He barely even heard the muffled sounds of conversation and music that filled the house. He wasn't really aware of anything that was going on around him. He just knew he had to sort out the rogue thoughts and feelings that were threatening to overwhelm him before he left this room.

Absentmindedly, his fingers traced an old scar on his wrist. One of many self-inflicted wounds that the moon always left him with. The moon. It ruled his life, controlling, ruining everything he ever did. Including the people he loved. His condition had bankrupted his parents, caused his best friends to break the law and endangered all of their lives more times than Remus cared to think about. It was just safer for everyone if he kept his distance, if he shut everybody out. Including Tonks.

But it wasn't that simple, was it? It never was. Something about her drew Remus in, made him want to be closer. Her presence warmed him, made him happy like no one else could. There was something… irresistible about the bright and bubbly young woman. Something that turned his brain to mush and his tongue to lead whenever she looked at him. And it wasn't entirely unpleasant…

No. Remus shook his head quickly. Tonks was mesmerising and made him feel like he'd never felt before, but he would not put her in danger. He couldn't bear the thought of doing anything to hurt her, but he knew it would happen. With cruel inevitability, something always went wrong. The thought of what could go wrong here, or at Hogwarts kept him up at night. He couldn't add her safety to that list. She meant too much to him. If he had to deny himself his own happiness to see her safe, then so be it.

OoOoOo

"I think that would be cheating Percy" Remus told the red head as he blew on the hot mince pie that Ginny had just handed him. "It would be giving you an unfair advantage. I'm not having dinner with any of your other classmates"

"But Professor, I just-"

"Oh shut up Perce!" George called, looking up from the game of exploding snap that he was playing with Fred and Kura. "It's Christmas eve! Give it a break!"

Percy shot him a venomous glare. "Well I'm sorry that I actually care about my schoolwork! Unlike you"

Fred looked at him coldly. "At least we don't sabotage our professors when they're trying to eat a mince pie!"

Percy blushed fiercely and opened his mouth to retort angrily, but Remus, having had years of experience with teenage arguments, stepped in. "Stop it," Percy blushed again and looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed at having to be told of by Remus, but Fred and George merely shrugged and turned back to their game. "Family is all we have, all any of us has. Fighting is pointless"

Remus had intended for it to be a serious point, his pathetic attempt at stopping the nearly constant squabbling between the younger Weasleys, but the effect was ruined somewhat when the pack of Exploding Snap cards exploded in Fred's hands, singing his fringe. Kura and George both burst into hysterical laughter, as did Harry and Ron when they looked up from their game of chess and saw the bald patch on Fred's forehead. Something like this happened every year. He supposed it was inevitable really when you left six people under the age of sixteen in a room together.

Percy tutted loudly and rolled his eyes. "Honestly," He snapped the textbook shut that he'd been asking Remus about. " There's no need to be so loud. Have a little respect"

Fred glared at him in what, Remus assumed, was meant to be a cold and slightly disgusted manner, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the singe marks on his forehead. He opened his mouth to retort, but Arthur suddenly appeared in front of them. "That's enough boys," He fixed the three of them with a stern look. "Your mother says dinners ready"

Remus looked at the table tiredly. Of course. They'd sat him next to Tonks. Of course they had. He glared fiercely at the back of Sirius' head as talked to Arthur. It was his fault. He'd obviously told Molly, and, judging by the way she was surreptiously watching him and Tonks, she was going to spend most of the evening trying to put them together. Remus made a point of staring at his plate and eating, completely avoiding anybody's eyes. Touching however, could not be avoided. Fourteen people, including a baby in a highchair, were crammed around the Weasley's kitchen table, and to say it was rather tight would be an understatement.

"There's no need to look so glum" Sirius' voice snapped him away from staring at his plate. He was leaning over, helping Kura with her food, and fixing Remus with a serious stare.

Remus pasted a neutral expression on his face. "I was just thinking…"

Sirius looked at him intently, his head tilted slightly to the side. Remus felt slightly uncomfortable as he met the grey eyes – he had the distinct impression that Sirius could tell exactly what he was thinking. Sirius frowned slightly. "Nothing stupid, I hope?"

Remus shook his head, but a quick glimpse at Sirius' face told him that the animagus didn't believe him. He never did. Remus would have been offended by the lack of trust, had he not been thinking about the very thing that Sirius classed as stupid. Sirius had always told him that he was stupid to think of himself as dangerous, that he was stupid to put himself down all the time. Sometimes, Remus nearly believed him. And then something would happen and Remus would be reminded of his biggest flaw. His selfishness. His weakness. Remus knew that he was dangerous, knew that he posed a very real threat to everybody around this table, but he couldn't drag himself away. He wasn't strong enough to stay away from the people that made him happy. And the thought tortured him. But not anymore. He wouldn't add anybody else to that list. He'd made that promise yesterday.

"Remus! Are you even listening to me?" Sirius demanded. Remus' head snapped up guiltily.

"That depends entirely on the last thing you said" Remus answered, knowing full well that he hadn't heard him. Harry and Alex both hid smirks, but Sirius sent him a slightly disgusted look.

"I told you to stop being such a grumpy git, and to smile. It's Christmas!" At the mention of Christmas Kura looked up from the carrots that she'd been trying to make a smiley face with and grinned at him. It was a grin of such innocence and excitement, of such pure joy that Remus couldn't help but smile back at her.

"There you go. Not that hard is it?" Sirius said pointedly, smiling at both of them.

"Of course not. I was thinking about the time when you managed to vanish all of your clothes in the middle of transfiguration"

Sirius blushed fiercely as the small room echoed with laughter. Harry nearly fell off his chair, he was laughing so much. Which of course, made everyone laugh all the more. "That's not as bad as the time when you got so ill after we stole that Firewhiskey off of Sluggy that you were sick in the middle of breakfast" Sirius finally stuttered.

Remus blushed even brighter than Sirius had. Fred, George and Ron were nearly crying with mirth now, and Percy was staring at him in shock and disappointment. Alex shared a look with Harry that made Remus exceptionally nervous.

Molly began to clear the plates loudly. "Yes, well. Maybe you can stop giving my sons advice on how to misbehave" She fixed both men with a disapproving stare. Remus immediately felt like he was five again and was telling his mother he'd spilt hot chocolate over his bed sheets.

"Sorry Molly" He said quietly.

"Yes, sorry" Sirius added, looking down in shame. Molly tutted and walked into the kitchen, where the banging told them that she was sorting out dessert. Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' dramatics. Sirius obviously wasn't sorry either. The years at Hogwarts had been the best of Remus' life, and with everything that happened once they'd left, Remus would never feel shame about them. He'd never stop smiling at the memories. Of course, in the years since, Harry and Sirius had helped him make new ones, but his schooldays would always hold a special place in his heart. Much like a certain person sat next to him, but Remus continued to deny that. It wasn't worth the danger he'd put her in.

_**AN: I'd like to apologise for the massive delay between chapters. I won't waste your time telling you all my excuses, just know that I'm really sorry. I'm working on both chapter 54 and 55 as I write this, so hopefully it won't be too long before the next chapters are up.**_


	54. Chapter 54: Christmas

Christmas morning found Harry Potter awake at such an early hour that before today he hadn't been entirely sure existed. Once he found his glasses, the reason for his early awakening became obvious. The purple clad form of Kura Abigail Black was stood at his bedside, hopping from one foot to the other.

Harry glanced at the clock. 2:34. Bugger. "Kura," he hissed, trying and failing not to sound angry. "It's half past 2! What are you doing?"

Even though it was dark, Harry could quite clearly see the expression on her little face – one that plainly said she thought Harry was being an idiot. "It's Christmas. Presents!"

Harry looked at her closely, squinting through the darkness. He'd always been so terrified of annoying Remus or Sirius, and then Alex that he'd never dared to just wake them up so he could open presents. For the first year or two of living here he'd been so frightened of angering any of the adults enough to take his presents away, that he'd done everything in his power to not be a bother. He vaguely wondered what it must be like to be Kura's age and to not have to worry about things like that. It must be nice, he decided. "I doubt your parents would appreciate being woken up so early"

Kura huffed in irritation. "But I can't sleep now! I'm too 'cited"

From the way she'd been yawning widely when she'd woken him, Harry knew that wasn't true. "Come sit with me for a bit. Then we'll go and get your mum and dad"

She grinned at him broadly and clambered up onto Harry's bed, settling herself next to him and pulling the duvet up to her chin. Harry winced slightly as her cold feet touched his arm. She turned to him, though Harry could only see her silhouette. "What should we do now?"

Harry could feel his eyes beginning to flutter closed. "Well," He said, stifling a yawn. "Why don't you tell me about what I've missed while I was away at school…"

OoOoOo

The next thing Harry was aware of was the feeling of cold metal on his face and the sound of a camera shutter closing. He opened an eye and discovered the reason for both of those things. He'd obviously fallen asleep still wearing his glasses, which meant he could see Sirius grinning and taking a photo. Harry frowned and moved, slightly alarmed when he felt something move against his chest. He looked down to find Kura asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. He looked up at Sirius.

"You know, I did wonder why Alex and I got a lie-in this morning. It was very nice, but I didn't expect it" Sirius said casually, watching Harry try to decide the best way to get out of bed without disturbing Kura.

Harry glared at him. "I didn't get a lie-in. Your daughter woke me up at half past 2," Harry said, layering irritation into his voice that he didn't actually feel. He was actually quite pleased that Kura had come to him, but he wasn't going to tell Sirius that. "She wanted me to come with her to wake you up. I managed to distract her"

Sirius smiled as Kura began to stir. "A feat for which I am very grateful for, I assure you"

Harry smirked. Sirius had never been a morning person. More than one morning when he was younger had ended with Harry trying (and failing) to pull Sirius out of bed when he wanted to do something that Remus wouldn't let him do. Sirius was much more lenient with things that Remus classed as dangerous.

"Anyway, merry Christmas!"

OoOoOo

"…screamed like a little girl! It was one of the funniest sounds I think I've ever heard" Alex finished, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Harry snorted in amusement, but then, upon seeing the murderous look on Sirius' face, turned back to peeling sprouts.

"That wasn't funny! That plant was vicious, it could have done me all sorts of damage" Sirius muttered, his back to everyone as he directed the washing up.

"You did more damage to James when you dropped the trowel on his foot than that plant did to you" Remus added as he helped Harry peel the sprouts. He winked at Harry as he stifled another laugh.

"Violent child, were you Sirius?" Tonks teased from where she sat bouncing Matthew on her knees, much to the little boys delight.

Sirius threw her a dirty look. "At least I never gave my father a black eye," He said loftily.

Tonks blushed furiously, her hair rapidly growing darker along with her cheeks. "That was an accident! I tripped down the stairs, and he was just there"

Sirius gave her a mischievous grin. "If you say so, Nymphadora"

Sirius turned back to the washing up, so he didn't see Tonks' face freeze for a second. He didn't see her stand up and walk over to where Harry and Remus were sat either. However, he did notice the sprout that Tonks had just thrown at the back of his head. It tore apart when it impacted his head, so the back of his shoulder length curly hair was splattered with green goo. Harry, Remus, Alex and Kura all burst out laughing, but Sirius didn't. He very slowly turned around, a murderous look on his face.

Tonks drew herself to her full height, her eyes flashing angrily. "Don't call me Nymphadora!"

Sirius glared straight back. If Harry hadn't been too busy trying not to fall off his chair from laughing, he probably would have shivered at the look on Sirius' face. "And so you decided to throw a sprout at my head?"

Tonks shrugged at him. "It was the only thing I could reach" She winked at Harry.

Sirius' face twitched into a smile, but then he very quickly forced a frown back onto his face. Sirius moved suddenly – quicker than Harry would have thought possible. In the time that it took for Harry to blink, Sirius had crossed the room, grabbed a sprout and thrown it straight at Tonks. It happened so quickly that she didn't have a chance to react, and so there was a strangled cry and a quiet splattering noise, and Harry looked up to see her wiping green goo off of her forehead. She sent Sirius (who was currently doing a weird kind of jig to celebrate his perfect aim) a furious glare, but before she could move towards the table to grab another green missile, Alex stepped in.

"That's enough! I swear I have five children," Alex said as she levitated the turkey across the room. Harry and Remus both pasted innocent expressions on their faces, turning back to the sprouts. Tonks smirked as Sirius tried to point his own wand at the back of his head to vanish the splattered sprout. "You're no better" Alex added, looking sternly at Tonks. Tonks' face fell, and she began to babble excuses before she caught the mischievous glint in Alex's eye.

"Tonks," Kura called from the far end of the kitchen table. "Come and help me do the castle" She added a rather drawn out and desperate "Please" when Tonks showed no sign of moving. Tonks tripped on her own feet as she walked over to join the four year old and nearly face planted the table, but managed to save herself. She ignored Harry's sniggers.

"Oh for goodness sake Sirius," Remus finally sighed, breaking the contented silence that had fallen in the kitchen. He'd apparently had enough of watching Sirius try to point his own wand at himself. "You'll probably blow your head off if you carry on like that. I'll help you"

OoOoOo

"A Firebolt!" Tonks breathed as she watched Harry gape at the broomstick that Sirius had gotten him. Harry's mouth had dropped open as soon as he'd ripped the wrapping paper off, and as of yet, he'd been unable to close it. The broom was even more stunning when he held it in his hands than it had been in the shop window. The wood seemed just that bit shinier and the handle that bit sleeker. He didn't think he'd ever seen something so beautiful.

"And to think," Tonks continued, staring at the broom in awe. "I was so excited when I managed to get a Comet Two-Sixty. Your broom makes mine look like the kitchen mop"

"I don't think you'd be any safer with it if it was a kitchen mop" Sirius told her cheekily.

Tonks straightened. "And what are you implying?"

"That you have far too many accidents with two feet on the floor. The thought of you on a broom is actually quite worrying" Harry said, finally tearing his eyes away from the Firebolt.

Tonks shot him a scandalised look and threw a scrunched up piece of wrapping paper at him. "You know, I didn't agree to spend Christmas with you just so I could be insulted," She continued to glare at Harry, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she spoke. Her face eventually split into a small grin. "I'm going to sit with the only person who hasn't insulted me today"

She jumped to her feet, nearly lost her balance again, and walked towards the sofa where Remus was currently sat. Harry watched curiously as numerous emotions flickered over his face, before finally settling into the well practiced blank look. Remus smiled very quickly at her, but then looked away almost as quickly. Sirius and Alex shared a look, and Harry frowned. He had the distinct feeling that he was missing out on something important.

"Yes, well," Remus said, sounding rather flustered as he avoided everybody's gaze. "I think we should open some more presents, don't you?"

At Remus' words, Kura practically threw herself at the presents that Harry and Sirius had wrapped. Alex had tried to help, but had instead collapsed into a fit of laughter with Remus as she watched. Harry had been offended, until he'd managed to stick his hand to a fluffy unicorn, without the paper. He'd understood perfectly why they were laughing at him then, and he couldn't help but join in.

By the time all of the presents were opened, Kura was barely visible behind the mountain of presents she'd been given, Matthew was bouncing gleefully in his new bouncer, and Harry was fiddling with the new radio that Alex's parents had bought him. Tonks slid down next to him, a sad smile on her face, though it very quickly morphed into a frown.

"If you leave that song on Harry, I will have to murder you. Regardless of the fact that I'm sat in a room with the man who could determine my career"

"That wouldn't be very Christmas spirited of you" Harry told her quietly, trying to remember how to change the channel.

"Being forced to listen to Celestina Warbeck would push even Santa Claus to the limit of his Christmas spirit" Tonks said darkly.

OoOoOo

"Damn you Lupin!" Alex hissed loudly. Remus punched the air joyfully, and then looked suitably abashed when he saw the glare on Alex's usually smiling face. Sirius, who had been dozing with a sleeping Matthew on his chest, snapped awake and eyed them carefully, Harry looked up guiltily from feeding the leftover turkey to Jethro, and even Tonks and Kura looked up briefly from the picture that they were still colouring in.

"This is why I stopped playing him at chess," Sirius announced. "He's a sneaky little bugger"

Remus gave him a cold look. "I resent that. Just because you lack the mental capacity for a good game of chess, doesn't mean that everybody does"

Harry rolled his eyes as Sirius flung back a barbed retort. So many of their arguments ended as a battle of wits, they weren't even interesting anymore. He smiled as Alex shook her head at them. They were all so predictable.

Harry smiled as he looked around at his family, their faces lit by the fire. Even as an adult, he could remember this scene perfectly. Through all the pain and the grief that he would face in the next few years, he would always remember this perfect moment. And it would make him smile. Because they were his family. They were there for him when no one else was. They were the people that he was proud to spend time with, and that memory, of a comfortable Christmas night spent in front of the fire, was one that would stay with him forever.

_**AN: I'm sorry this is later than I promised. Coursework again. I'd like to think I could get the next chapter up within the month. I think that's what I'll stick to until I can get a few chapters written.**_

_**I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me this far, and I know I haven't always been the best at showing it, but your support means everything to me. Thank you. I wish you all happy holidays and a very happy new year.**_


	55. Chapter 55: Blame

Silence. It crept through the house like smoke, seeping under doors and swirling through the hallway. Not the eerie type of silence that sends shivers up your spine, but the peaceful kind of silence that was full of the crackling of a log fire and the faint whistle of a kettle as it began to boil. It was a contented silence, the kind of silence that encouraged falling asleep on the sofa or reminiscing over old memories. Lily would have said it was the perfect time to curl up with a good book. Sirius smiled wistfully at the memory.

"What are you smiling about?" Alex asked, looking up at him curiously. The two of them were lay on the sofa, legs entwined as Alex rested her head on his chest.

"I was thinking about something Lily always used to do" Sirius replied quietly. He could never tell what reaction mentioning Lily's death would garner from Alex. They'd been friends at school, but Alex had never really been an active member of the Order like the marauders and Lily, so they'd drifted apart. She hadn't seen Lily since just after Harry was born and the Potters had gone into hiding. It was something she regretted nearly every day.

Alex smiled sadly. "She'd say this was a perfect afternoon to curl up with a book. Mary and I would quite often find her with her nose in a book"

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. There were times when Alex seemed to be on a different planet from them all, but then there were times when she seemed to read his mind. He didn't think he'd ever fully understand her. He smiled, watching her dark green eyes sparkle with joy.

She smiled softly at him. "It's nice to see you smile again. You do it so rarely"

The smile slowly fell from Sirius' face. This whole case with Peter was getting to him, it was still going nowhere, and it haunted him wherever he went. But he'd never thought it could lead to this. When he'd found out that Alex was pregnant with Kura, he'd sworn to himself that he'd be nothing like his own father had been – cold, calculating and with an awful temper. He didn't think he'd ever seen his father smile when he was growing up, and he decided that he'd never put his own children through that. They meant too much to him. So he'd vowed that he'd always smile, and let them know just how much they meant to him. He choked as he forced out an apology.

Alex put a hand on his cheek softly. "It's okay Sirius. I know this Pettigrew case is haunting you, but just try and take a break, every now and then. If not for us, then for yourself"

Sirius looked at her, feeling increasing guilty as the seconds crept past. She was right – he'd been spending far too long in the office, and now his family was suffering for it. Peter Pettigrew had taken everything from him; he wasn't going to let that monster ruin the only things he'd clawed back. He just wasn't.

OoOoOo

"I think he's done this deliberately," Harry mused as he rummaged around in the cupboard. "He never even mentioned that he had any left until Alex had to go"

"Hmmm?" Sirius asked vaguely. He was trying to calm a screaming and writhing Matthew, and he wasn't paying any attention to what Harry was saying.

"Remus. He's just decided that he's got sixth year homework to mark, but I think he's left it 'til now just so he doesn't have to help" Harry explained patiently, smiling slightly as Matthew suddenly stopped crying and began to noisily slurp on the juice cup that Sirius was holding.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of course he did. He doesn't want a repeat of last year" Harry sniggered as Sirius continued. "I don't think he found it very funny"

Harry opened his mouth, no doubt to make a sarcastic comment about the situation that had led to Remus having an egg yolk in his hair, but Kura interrupted him. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at them both. "Are we making these cakes or not daddy?"

Sirius trued to suppress his laughter as he looked at the four year old. She was even tapping her foot impatiently. Or at least trying to. He shared a quick look with Harry, who was also struggling to contain his laughter, and walked towards her, scooping her up in his arms. "Of course we are sweetheart. We're all ready now"

She let out a squeal of excitement as Harry dragged a chair over to the counter for her to kneel on. Sirius smiled as he watched her try to tell Harry that he was cracking the eggs wrongly. He ignored her and continued to crack them carefully, obviously determined not to get any shell in the mixture. Harry eventually handed her the spoon, grinning broadly as she stood up a bit straighter on the chair.

Harry's emerald eyes sparkled with excitement as he turned to Sirius. The joy that he felt at finally having a family was plain in his face. It always was when he did something with either of the younger Black's. His family. Sirius knew that deep down, that was Harry's greatest wish. It was every abandoned child's wish. And it was a wish that Sirius was so proud to be part of.

OoOoOo

Sirius sighed quietly as he walked into the lounge. The Wireless was on, but he was quite sure that Remus wasn't listening to it. He was instead watching the rain run down the large windows, deep in thought. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Sirius was starting to get worried about it.

"Remus," He asked quietly. Remus didn't even move. "Are you OK?"

He was still staring out of the window. "Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine," He spoke in a strangely cheerful voice that didn't fool Sirius at all. He could obviously tell that he hadn't convinced Sirius, because he added, "Just kind of sad that the Christmas holidays are over. We have to go back tomorrow"

Sirius nodded slowly, not believing Remus for a second. Remus loved his job, loved being back at the place that held so many happy memories. "It'll be alright though. You'll get away from screaming toddlers and grumpy best friends"

Remus didn't move, his eyes staring into something that Sirius couldn't see. Sirius could understand how easy it was to get lost in a memory, he was just worried about his best friend. Remus had a problem with putting on a brave face when something was wrong. Remus was not an easy person to read. Sirius continued cautiously. "Really though Remus, are you sure you're alright? It seems like there's been something on your mind for a while. At least since Tonks came"

Remus whipped his head round so quickly that his neck cracked, an angry snarl on his face. "Why do you always have to intrude? I told you I'm fine, so just leave it!"

Sirius stared at him, stunned. Remus rarely ever got angry, but when he did, it would make his face contort in such a way that it was actually quite frightening. There was something deeper here… "But you're not fine Moony! I want to help you!"

Remus looked at him coldly. "I don't want, or need your help. Leave me alone"

Trying to ignore the stab of hurt that he felt at Remus' words, Sirius carried on speaking. "What's happened? Has somebody – has Tonks said something to you?"

The cold look continued, this time combined with an icy snap in his voice. "No"

Understanding flooded through Sirius. "She likes you, you know"

The cold look melted, leaving behind a dark and exhausted expression. "She shouldn't"

Sirius looked at him darkly. "Is this because you're a werewolf?"

Remus turned away, not quite hiding the shudder that tore through his frame as he turned back to the window. "No"

Sirius didn't believe him. Remus never let himself do anything, all because he saw himself as a monster. It drove Sirius insane trying to prove Remus wrong. He'd been trying for years, but Remus never believed him. He preferred instead to dwell on the few occasions where something had gone wrong. "If this isn't about that, then tell me what's wrong"

Silence fell between the two men, punctuated only by the occasional sounds of laughter that told them Harry and Alex were playing with Matthew and Kura. Sirius watched Remus' back as he ran his hands through his dark blonde hair and dropped his head into his hands. Sirius frowned as Remus eventually turned to face him, tears in his eyes.

"It's all my fault" Remus choked out, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

What? Whatever Sirius had been expecting, it hadn't been that. "What's your fault? I don't understand Moony"

Remus choked at Sirius' words. "Peter Pettigrew is my fault," Sirius stared at him blankly. Remus tried to smile at his expression, but it looked more like a painful grimace. "He was your friend because of me. He became an animagi because of me. You made him the secret keeper because you thought I was a spy," Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Remus spoke over him. "He spent nearly three years a free man, and you in Azkaban, because I was too stupid to see the truth! He escaped Azkaban because of me!"

Sirius gaped at him; horrified that Remus could think all of that. He'd never really considered that Remus might think himself to blame. Sirius didn't blame him in the slightest. "What?!"

Remus looked for a moment like he might smile at the look on Sirius' face, but something far worse happened. Remus' face crumpled and tears began to pour from his eyes. Sirius froze in shock. In the whole time he'd known Remus, he'd only ever seen Remus cry a handful of times. It scared and upset Sirius more than he cared to admit.

"Oh Remus," Sirius breathed, getting to his feet to comfort his friend. The sight of Remus looking so pitiful made a lump form in Sirius' throat, but he tried his utmost to ignore it. He wrapped his arms around his best friend, smiling slightly as Remus relaxed into the embrace and held onto Sirius' shirt. "It's not your fault. Nobody blames you"

"_It's my fault, not yours"_ was the only thought that kept going through Sirius' head as he murmured reassuring words. The role reversal was actually quite frightening. Sirius had always been the emotional, hotheaded one, where as Remus had always been more detached, more calm when things went wrong. Sirius had lost count of the number of times that Remus had comforted him, helped him over the years and the fact that Sirius was now doing it for Remus alarmed him more than he would ever admit to. "I mean it Remus, you can't blame yourself for that. It was not your fault"

Eventually, Remus calmed down enough to pull away from Sirius and wipe his face. He fixed Sirius with a pointed stare. "If I'm not allowed to blame myself, you're not allowed to blame yourself either"

Sirius shook his head. "It wasn't your fault Remus. But it was mine," Remus shook his head slowly, but Sirius ignored him. "I told them to use Peter. I thought I was being clever!" Sirius cried in frustration, his hands balling into fists at his side. "All I was really doing was handing James and Lily to Voldemort on a silver platter"

Remus shook his head again. "No Sirius. You fell for what Peter wanted you to. You are not to be blamed for that"

Sirius stared at him, but before he had a chance to refute what Remus had said, another voice spoke from the doorway.

"It's neither of your faults," Harry said, locking eyes with Sirius and Remus. "I don't blame either of you. And I don't think mum or dad would either"

Sirius stared at Harry, and he was quite sure that Remus was doing the same next to him. He'd never even thought about how Harry felt about the events that led up to the loss of his parents. Harry had only known the whole story for just under two weeks.

Harry continued. "The only person to blame is Voldemort"

Sirius smiled tiredly at Harry. He'd grown up so much this year that sometimes it was hard to remember the innocent little boy that he used to be. He wasn't innocent any more. Not now he knew the truth. The truth had a way of stealing innocence.

_**AN: First off, I'd like to apologise. I know I seem to do it every chapter lately, but I really mean it. I keep making promises to you lovely people, and then I keep breaking them. I'm really sorry.**_

_**I won't make any more promises, but know that the next chapter will be coming. Thank you guys for all sticking with me :) x**_


	56. Chapter 56: Corruption and Chocolate

"And it was his fault Sirius! Hagrid told us not to insult Buckbeak, but Malfoy did it anyway!" Harry's voice was unintentionally growing louder with each word as he told Sirius the contents of the letter he'd received over breakfast. They were searching for Sirius' car keys and Harry had capitalised on the last moments he'd have just with Sirius before he returned to school.

Sirius looked at him sympathetically, brushing dust off his shirt. Harry continued his rant. "He's done it deliberately. He hates Hagrid, the slimy git wants to get him sacked! He said it himself!"

Sirius finally held up a hand to stop Harry, who could feel his temper rising the longer he spoke on the subject. Sirius shook his head angrily. "They won't sack Hagrid, Dumbledore won't let them. The Hippogriff though… The Ministry's so corrupt that they've probably already made their minds up. Lucius' doing, no doubt"

Harry made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "But that's not fair! It wasn't his fault!"

Sirius gave him a wry smile. "And since when has that mattered to the Ministry?"

Harry looked away awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Sirius shook his head, the wry smile still on his face. "Its alright Harry. Don't worry about it," He paused and then met Harry's eyes. He looked so serious, and his grey eyes held such a weight that Harry felt himself straighten slightly. Something had changed in their relationship over Christmas. _No more secrets. _"I'll do what I can Harry, but," He took a step closer, still staring into Harry's eyes. "Don't hold out much hope"

Harry's heart sunk slightly. Sirius always had an answer, a way to solve any problem thrust at him. That he didn't have a solution actually made Harry feel quite lost. Lost and afraid. An innocent creature was going to die, and Sirius didn't think he could do anything about it. The injustice of it all made Harry want to punch someone. Preferably Malfoy.

"AHA!" Sirius cried gleefully, the seriousness of the previous moment forgotten. "Found the little buggers" He promptly threw himself over the back of Remus' favourite armchair and emerged moments later, his car keys clutched victoriously in his hands.

Harry watched him as he put the keys very carefully in his pockets. This had become a sort of tradition. Every term Sirius lost the car keys (this was the only time that Sirius normally used the car) and he and Harry would spend at least half an hour looking for them. Of course, Sirius could have found them in seconds if he'd used magic, but he never did, always saving these last sacred moments for just the two of them before Harry left for Hogwarts. It was their last moment to talk before everything became hectic. A loud bang, followed by a long string of cursing interrupted them.

Sirius snickered slightly and strode towards the door. "Come on Harry, we best go before Remus manages to kill himself with your trunk"

OoOoOo

"Of course I do" Harry sighed in irritation. He heard Ron stifle a snigger as he glared at Professor Trelawney. It was the first Divination lesson of the new term, and they were studying Palmistry. Professor Trelawney had wasted no time in informing him, rather tearfully that he had an exceptionally short life line. Harry had long gone past the point of caring what she said – he actually found her repeated assurances of sudden death quite amusing. However, Professor Trelawney apparently did not approve of Harry's change of opinion.

"It is not a laughing matter Potter," She snapped at him, all traces of her usual mysticism gone. It came back in full force though when she spoke again. "I merely seek to warn you of your impending doom. So that you might be better prepared"

Harry could practically hear Hermione fighting not to roll her eyes next to him. Trelawney turned her back on them dramatically and walked over to Lavender and Parvati, whom were both staring at Parvati's hand intently. Harry rolled his eyes at them. They practically worshipped the ground that Trelawney walked on, and, if their behaviour towards Harry was any indication, took her word as gospel.

"What a load of rubbish!" Hermione announced as they waited for Neville to climb down the ladder at the end of the lesson. "She's making it all up, just because she's decided that you're the perfect target"

That was what Sirius had told him over Christmas. Harry smiled in agreement as he helped Neville back to his feet.

"Thanks Harry" Neville said breathlessly, rubbing his knee absentmindedly. "She's right about some things though," He said, nodding a head back towards the trapdoor. "I mean, she was right about Lavender's rabbit, and my Gran"

Hermione scoffed loudly. "Lavender was a lucky guess, and your Gran only had a cold. She was already well again by the time she replied to your letter"

"She was still right though" Neville said adamantly. Harry smiled slightly. Neville had always been quite superstitious, and this was one subject that he was not going to change his mind on. He and Hermione had already argued over it, much to Ron's irritation. He got very annoyed when anybody argued with Hermione; anybody but him that is. Which is why his eyes were currently glaring at the back of Neville's head as they hurried to Care of Magical Creatures.

"That doesn't mean she's right about everything. I mean," She glanced at Harry. "She's been telling us that Harry is going to die since September, but he still looks in good health to me"

Neville gave her an odd look. "Why did you take divination if you're not going to take it seriously?"

Hermione's whole demeanour changed. Where as before her replies had all been scathing and she'd quite obviously been readying herself for a fight, now an excited grin spread over her face and her voice shook with glee. "Oh, because I thought it would be interesting! Learning about the wizarding world, and how wizards view things," Her tone suddenly became angry again. "If I'd have known that I would have to listen to some batty old fraud talking rubbish, I don't know if I'd have taken it"

Quite plainly, Neville didn't know what to say to that. There was an awkward silence, which Ron eventually broke in a rather timid voice. "Well, drop it then. I mean, you are taking a lot of classes this year"

Hermione turned to glare at Ron. "I don't see how it's any of your business how many classes I'm taking"

Ron was visibly taken aback at Hermione's venomous response. Harry took pity on him as he floundered for a response that wouldn't start an argument. "We're just worried about you Hermione, that's all. You seem to always be doing homework"

It was true. They'd only been back at school for two days, but Hermione was already spending all of her free time on homework. She'd even spent the majority of the train ride back with her nose in a book. It seemed to be all she did these days.

"I'll get there" Was all Hermione would say as they began the walk out to Hagrid's hut.

OoOoOo

"Harry, you need to think of a happy memory. The happiest one you have" Remus told him, gesturing for Harry to stand in the middle of the room.

He did so, watching Remus shut the blinds with some trepidation. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure if this was the best idea. He didn't want to hear his mother die again. He frowned. Wasn't that the whole point of learning the patronus? So he could defend himself against the dementors? And never hear Lily's last moments again? His frown disappeared, and a thin sliver of resolve began to take route in his heart. He didn't want to hear her screams again when he went to close to the gate to Hogsmeade. He didn't want to terrify everyone again by fainting mid-air during a Quidditch match. And he most certainly did not want to ruin Gryffindor's chance at winning the Quidditch cup for the first time in seven years.

"Are you ready, Harry? Do you have a memory?" Remus' quiet voice broke the silence. Harry looked up at him guiltily, frantically rifling through his memories to find a particularly happy one. Harry had no shortage of happy memories, but part of his mind kept hearing Lily's frantic pleas.

Harry nodded at Remus, trying to focus on the memory he'd chosen, not Lily's last words. Remus looked at him shrewdly for a moment, and then nodded. "The incantation is Expecto Patronum"

Harry nodded determinedly, whispering the words to himself as Remus opened the Boggart-containing wardrobe that they were relying on for these lessons. "Expecto Patronum… Expecto Patronum…"

As soon as the lock clicked open, a dark, cloaked figure swooped out. Harry nearly lost his nerve as it sucked in a rattling breath. And then –

"_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off –"_

_There was a high, cold laugh, and then in that same cold voice. "Avada Kedavra!"_

"Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes, squinting up at the lights above him. He couldn't remember falling, but from the way that Remus was leaning over him, and the throbbing pain at the back of his head, he assumed he must have.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Remus asked, concern etched all over his face. He helped Harry sit up and then began to rummage in his pockets. He handed Harry a chocolate frog and then looked at him so intently, Harry was half convinced that he was trying to read his mind.

Harry bit the frogs head off and looked down at his knees. "I heard my dad," He missed Remus' gasp as his green eyes filled with tears. "He was telling mum to run. He said he'd delay Voldemort"

Harry looked up to see Remus' light brown eyes fill with moisture. Remus looked away, pain clear on his face. "Oh, James…" He smiled sadly at Harry. "He loved you so much Harry. He would have gladly died to keep you safe – without a second thought"

Harry looked away again. "That was the first time I've ever heard his voice"

Remus didn't say anything; he just pulled Harry into a tight hug. He kissed the top of Harry's head and then pulled away, straightening his jumper as he stood up. "I think this was a mistake. The patronus charm is well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. I don't know why I thought I could teach you – it took me a year and a half to master the charm"

Harry scrambled to his feet, shoving the last of the chocolate frog in his face. "No," Harry said quickly, before Remus could talk himself out of teaching Harry. "I want – I need to learn to do a patronus. I can't be haunted by their last words for the rest of the year," A steely tone entered Harry's voice. "I can't let Gryffindor lose another match"

Remus looked him in the eye, obviously trying to read the determination in his eyes. Muttering to himself, Remus eventually tutted. "If you're sure," Harry nodded fiercely. "Though, you might need to pick a stronger memory"

Harry looked away awkwardly. He wasn't even sure if he'd really picked a memory last time. And even if he had, he'd completely forgotten it as soon as the Boggart-dementor had appeared. He was going to have to pick a stronger one than that. He smiled as memories of a childhood spent with Sirius and Remus assaulted him. He chose one, letting the remembered joy fill his body.

He nodded at Remus, who waved his wand at the wardrobe. The dementor drifted out of the wardrobe, one scabbed hand visible. It drew in a rattling breath, but Harry was prepared this time. He wasn't going to faint again.

"Expecto Patronum… EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry shouted in desperation. The candles that Remus kept on his desk had gone out, and Harry's breath was steaming in the air in front of him. A hazy, white shield flashed from the end of his wand, held for a few seconds and then failed. Harry took a step backwards, knowing full well that he didn't have the strength to try again. His mothers screams were growing louder –

"Riddikulus!" Remus shouted as Harry collapsed to the floor. His legs felt like jelly. Remus forced the Boggart, now looking like a popped balloon, back into the wardrobe. He grabbed a large bar of chocolate and ran over to Harry. "Eat this," Remus told him, snapping off a large chunk of chocolate and handing it to Harry. "That was really good Harry"

Harry swallowed angrily. "No it wasn't. I thought a patronus was meant to chase dementors away? I couldn't even hold the shield!"

"No, but you did cast a shield. Everything else comes with practice"

Harry grunted in irritation. He knew it was stupid, but he'd expected something more dramatic to happen. He wanted an instant solution, not one that would take months. He didn't have months – the next match was in less than a month. He bit his lip.

"Harry, you only need to be able to hold a shield long enough for somebody else to get rid of them," Remus told him patiently. He looked at his watch. "I think we best call it a night Harry, it's getting late," He pulled Harry to his feet and nodded at the half eaten bar of chocolate in his hand. "Eat all of that, or Sirius is likely to come all the way here and murder me"

Harry smiled slightly and pointedly took a large bite of chocolate. "G'night Remus"

"Night Harry"

**AN: Sorry about the wait, I know, I suck. But in better news, I've finished my degree! All exams are over and all coursework is handed in **** Theoretically, I should be able to get chapters out quicker now, but that doesn't seem to be the case – I've written 1200 words for the next chapter, but I seem to have hit a brick wall. I know what I want to write, I just can't. It's incredibly frustrating. ***_**Sigh**__*** **_**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review.**


	57. Chapter 57: Concerns and cheating

"Will you keep an eye on Sirius please?" Alex asked, her head sitting in the fireplace of Remus' office. Remus tried to stifle a yawn as he looked at her. It was much easier not to think of Tonks when he was busy teaching, but that just meant that his mind had enough time to fret over every other concern he had. Mainly Harry. Remus smiled wryly. It was always Harry, though, he was becoming increasingly concerned about Sirius. Alex's words were not helping.

"An eye? I can make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, but I'm assuming that wasn't what you meant?"

Alex sighed. "No, it wasn't. I'm really worried about him. At this rate, the Pettigrew case is going to kill him. He's working so hard on it, desperate for a break in the case. And he hasn't been sleeping. He hasn't been home since he said good night to the kids last night, and…" Alex trailed off, concern etched across her face.

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat heavily at his desk. Sirius had been like this during the war – so intent on fighting that he'd lose track of time. He'd sometimes disappear for weeks, so wrapped in a case that nothing else mattered. More than once, James had to physically drag him away from the auror office. If Harry hadn't been born when he had, Remus was convinced that they would have lost Sirius a long time ago. That little boy, Lily had once said, probably saved Sirius' life. To someone who'd grown up in a loving, albeit poor, family, Sirius' motivation had always been a mystery, but after the death of his father, Remus had understood. The marauders had been Sirius' family, and he would have done anything to keep his family safe.

Remus reluctantly met her eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to like his answer. He wasn't sure if he liked it either, but bitter experience had taught him that it was the only option. "He'll be alright. Or rather, there's nothing we can do about it. We just have to help him, and be there for him when he decides that he needs to stop," Remus stopped, watching sadly as Alex's face fell. He knew exactly how she was feeling, because he'd been there himself. "Until his family are safe, he won't stop. He let Pettigrew win once, he won't do it again"

Alex sighed again. "He takes everything upon himself. I'm half convinced he wants to catch Pettigrew single-handedly"

Remus shook his head, smiling slightly. "I don't think Sirius cares who catches him, just that he's caught"

Alex looked down and then met Remus' eyes. "Thank you for listening, Remus, and for reassuring me. I needed it," She smiled broadly at him. "Oh, and wish Harry good luck for me in the match today, won't you?"

OoOoOo

Remus barely suppressed a smirk from his seat at the head table. It was the day of the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match, and as was usual, Harry had brought his new broom down to breakfast with him. What was not usual however, was the way his four dormmates were flanking him, almost like they were protecting Harry and, more likely, his brand new Firebolt. A wave of excited muttering broke out at their appearance, and nearly every student in the hall, and even some of the professors, turned to gape at the broom.

"Good Lord!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in his squeaky voice, his breakfast forgotten as he looked across the Great Hall. "Is that a Firebolt?"

Remus smiled slightly, knowing that Filius, as the head of Ravenclaw house, was going to hate the answer. "Yes it is"

The Charms Master stared at him, obviously torn between despair at his teams chances at winning the match and excitement at being in the same room as one of the best racing broomsticks in the world. Remus couldn't blame him. Most national teams were in the process of ordering Firebolts, and the thought of one being used in the Inter-House championship was almost ludicrous. Professor Flitwick looked down at the students again, and frowned slightly. Remus followed his gaze.

Draco Malfoy had sauntered over to the Gryffindor table, after apparently being sent over by the Slytherin team to check if the broomstick obviously was a Firebolt. Remus was too busy watching the blonde haired boy hiss something to his companions to notice that Minerva was slowly rising to her feet. The rivalry between the two boys was well known amongst the staff, but Minerva, obviously thinking of the former rivalry between the marauders and Snape, was having none of it. She made a point of breaking up any confrontation between the pair that she came across. She needn't have bothered this time though. Harry said something cold to the Slytherin and he strutted away, the laughs of the Gryffindor Quidditch team following him.

He watched the Slytherins put their heads together and begin whispering with a mounting sense of dread. This could not be good.

OoOoOo

It hadn't been good. Three cloaked figures had swept onto the pitch just as Harry and the Ravenclaw seeker were racing for the snitch. The Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang, had spotted them first and screamed. Everybody in the stands, including the thirteen other players in the air had all followed Cho's pointed finger to see the apparent dementors. Before Sirius and Remus could do more than frown at each other in confusion, Harry had whipped out his wand and cast a patronus at them. Harry had turned back to catch the snitch as soon as he'd stowed his wand, but if he hadn't, he might have seen what had happened. Remus and Sirius had though, which was why Remus was having trouble forcing any sounds past the rising lump in his throat.

Remus had expected Harry's patronus to still be the vague, stationary shield that he'd produced in their last few patronus lessons; he most definitely had not expected the three figures to be charged down by a hazy but distinctly shaped stag. He'd not expected the patronus, but apparently, the three figures had not expected Harry to fight back at all.

Remus watched numbly as the Gryffindor team landed, Wood practically pulling Harry off of his broom as he tried to hug him. Sirius elbowed him, and dragged him towards the team, whom had very quickly been joined by the rest of Gryffindor house. Remus frowned. They were all shouting and screaming (some of them were even crying), but Remus couldn't make out words. Harry turned to face the two of them, his grin threatening to split his face in half.

"That," Remus choked out. "Was an impressive patronus Harry"

Harry's voice shook excitedly as he answered. "I didn't feel them at all!"

Sirius' smile fell from his face instantly, to be quickly replaced with a scowl. "They weren't dementors Harry"

Harry's grin of triumph slowly faded. Sirius led him over to where Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Marcus Flint were being shouted at by Professor McGonagall. Harry looked like he didn't know whether to be angry for the attempted sabotage, or amused at the result. Ron's reaction, however, seemed to make his mind up. The red head had to grab Sirius' shoulder to stop himself from falling over, he was laughing so hard. Harry and Neville began to laugh as well.

"Harry!" George called, watching Dumbledore pass him with a barely concealed smirk. "Party in the Common Room!"

Harry looked at Sirius, pushed Ron and Neville towards the other Gryffindors, and shouted, "I'll be there in a minute George!"

Remus turned in the direction that Harry had shouted. Somehow, he didn't think George had heard – the redhead had just been pulled into a very passionate kiss by one of the other fifth years. Remus' eyebrows rose as Ron mimed being sick and Fred edged away from him, apparently disturbed. Sirius smirked at the scene and then turned to Harry.

"Speaking of young love, who was that Ravenclaw seeker who you were making eyes at?"

Harry flushed bright red, so much so that his face nearly matched his scarlet robes, as he answered in a quick, twitchy voice. "No-one. I wasn't making eyes at anyone"

Remus smirked. Harry was convincing no one, and he seemed to know it. He made a point of avoiding Sirius' amused grey eyes.

"I just wanted to know who this young lady was," Sirius said in an innocent voice.

Harry, still looking at his boots, answered in a low voice. "Her name is Cho Chang"

Sirius nodded seriously. "And when will you be asking Miss Chang on a date?"

Harry spluttered angrily and gaped at the slightly smug expression on his godfather's face. "A date?" He eventually choked. "I won't be asking anyone on a date! Besides," Harry's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "She'd never go out with me. She's far too pretty"

Remus stared at him in shock. Before now, Harry had never really shown any sign of being self-conscious. Painfully shy and quiet, yes; but not self-conscious. Sirius was watching Harry with a blank expression. He smiled slightly. "Is that why she was making eyes back at you? And why she was watching you after you landed?"

Harry blushed furiously again. He floundered for an answer, all the while trying to smother the goofy grin that was threatening to spread across his face. Remus eventually took pity on him. "Harry, you best get up to this party, they'll be waiting for you. And well done in the match today"

"Yes, well done. You were spectacular" Sirius told him, stepping forward to hug the boy. Harry grinned at him, and then grinned wider when he realised the height difference between the two of them had shrunk considerably. Seeing Harry nearly every day meant that Remus didn't notice as much, but he seemed to have shot up a good two inches since Christmas. The top of his head was now at the same height as Sirius' chin. Remus, being shorter than Sirius, dreaded to think what that meant for him. There was a brief staring contest, which Sirius won, before Sirius pulled Harry into a hug.

Remus smiled at the sight. All the exhaustion and stress that had been visible in Sirius' eyes seemed to melt away. Harry was his balm, his reassurance that not everything was wrong in the world. He always had been, though Remus was quite sure that Harry didn't know that. Children never knew how much they meant to those who cared about them. Harry, along with Kura and Matthew, was everything to Sirius, and had been for a very long time.

Harry eventually pulled away, waved at Remus and began to walk back to the castle, and the inevitable party. Remus smiled wryly. He didn't envy Minerva her job tonight.

OoOoOo

Remus jerked awake, cursing loudly. Something was making a lot of noise, and he couldn't figure out what it was. It was only as he stared around the room, looking for the source of the noise that the full strangeness of the situation hit him. He and Sirius had come back to his office together after the match, and had obviously fallen asleep in their armchairs. Sirius wasn't sleeping either, then… Speaking of Sirius, the auror had shot to his feet, wand in hand as soon as the noise had started. He'd obviously realised what it was quicker than Remus had because he was currently searching frantically for something.

He finally pulled the enchanted mirror out of his pocket. "Harry. What – what's wrong? Has something happened?"

Remus raced around to Sirius' side. He could tell right away what it was that was making Sirius panic. Harry's pale, sweaty and plainly terrified face was staring out at them. "Peter Pettigrew was in our room"


	58. Chapter 58: Rats and Reassurances

"_Enough is enough!" Professor McGonagall shouted at the assembled Gryffindors, a mixture of anger, exasperation and exhaustion in her voice. "It is one o'clock in the morning. Go to bed, all of you!" There was a general moan of disapproval from the students. "NOW!" She stood in the Portrait Hole, tapping her foot impatiently as the students traipsed up to the dormitories. Quite a few mumbled mutinously, but stopped as soon as McGonagall turned her beady eyes on them. They were not stupid enough to risk angering their head of house further. Aside from Sirius, she was easily the 'scariest when angry' person Harry had ever met._

_Percy was watching them all go, glaring fiercely at their backs. "I told them to stop Professor. Numerous times actually. But they ignored me" He shot a furious glare at Fred as he said this, obviously remembering the result of his last attempt to stop the party. Harry wasn't quite sure how it had happened (he'd learnt long ago not to question the twins), but it had ended with Fred pouring a bottle of butterbeer on his head. Needless to say, Percy had not been impressed._

_Harry was patted on the back and congratulated numerous times as the entirety of Gryffindor House climbed the narrow staircase. It didn't stop until Dean slammed the third year dormitory door shut. All of a sudden, Harry felt exhausted. The nervous energy and then excitement that had kept him going all day suddenly melted away, leaving him utterly exhausted. Half of him wanted to just flop on his bed and sleep, fully clothed, but another part of him told him that that would be a bad idea. It wouldn't be like when he'd fallen asleep on the sofa at Christmas, and had woken up in his own bed, pyjamas on. He'd probably manage to smother himself with his robes if he stayed like this._

"_Well done today mate," Ron said as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "I thought you were done for when those 'dementors' came on the field"_

_Harry looked at him, not quite knowing what to say. If Hermione had been here, she probably would have hit him over the head with something for having no tact. Sirius said that Ron's mouth often engaged before his brain did. Sometimes the results were quite amusing, but not when they were directed at Harry._

"_What was that thing you did anyway?" Neville asked quietly. _

_Harry smiled. "A patronus. Remus has been teaching me," He sobered again when he thought of why Remus had been teaching him. "It's the only known way to fight off a dementor"_

_Ron wisely didn't say anything else, a fact for which Harry was very grateful. He didn't fancy explaining the situation to Ron. Especially when he was so exhausted he half expected to fall asleep where he stood. With a slight smile on his face, he crawled in to bed with every intention of sleeping until lunchtime._

_It didn't quite work out that way. He wasn't quite sure what had woken him, but one glance around the room was enough to tell him that it was still nighttime. Ron's snores filled the room, blocking out everything else. Well, nearly everything. He could hear a faint kind of snuffling next to his head. Then something cold and wet touched his ear, and all hell broke loose. Harry shouted in alarm and leapt out of bed. Then the rest of the boys in the dormitory started shouting and eventually moaning that Harry had woken them. He wasn't listening – he'd grabbed his wand, looked at the bed in the thin beam of light and was currently trying not to hyperventilate. He'd caught a glimpse of a rat running at high speed under his bed, and he had no illusions about whom it was._

_Ron finally climbed out of bed, and moved to Harry's side. "Harry, what in Merlin's name is going on?"_

_Harry ignored him as he raced for his bedside table, throwing books and sweets into the air as he searched for something. He finally straightened up, the enchanted mirror gripped tightly in his hands. "Sirius. Sirius!" The mirror was still black. "SIRIUS BLACK! Answer dammit! SIRIUS!"_

_The mirror finally changed, shimmering until Sirius' face was visible. Harry ignored the fact that Sirius was obviously still dressed. "Harry. What – what's wrong? Has something happened?"_

_Harry took a deep breath, and tried to ignore how his hands were shaking. "Peter Pettigrew was in our room"_

OoOoOo

Sirius raced into their dormitory, nearly knocking Neville over in his haste to get to Harry. He didn't say anything, but he put his hands on Harry's shoulders and checked him over. Then he stopped and stared into Harry's eyes for a moment, before pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

Harry finally felt his terror subside as he let his head rest on Sirius' chest. Sirius had a way of being able to reassure Harry without even saying anything. He always had, ever since he'd pulled Harry out of the cupboard under the stairs. He was the person Harry looked up most to in the entire world, and he always made Harry feel safe. They might have the occasional argument, and there were times when Harry would be so annoyed with him that he could scream, but that didn't change anything. He knew that Sirius wouldn't let anything happen to him. And that he'd do anything to keep him safe. The thought that he had someone who cared so much about him made Harry feel very loved.

Sirius finally let go of Harry when McGonagall arrived, though he did make a point of keeping Harry in his vision, as if he were half afraid that Harry would vanish if he looked away. When he spoke though his voice gave no hint of his worries. "Take the Gryffindors to the Great Hall. The dormitories and common room need to be searched thoroughly. The rest of the castle too," McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but Sirius spoke over her. "We've already alerted Dumbledore, he'll be on his w- Ah, headmaster"

Dumbledore stood before them, a dark purple dressing gown wrapped around his thin frame. "I have woken the other teachers. The heads are evacuating their students to the Great Hall as we speak"

He nodded at Professor McGonagall, who began to chivvy all of the students into the Common Room. "Potter?"

Harry looked up at Sirius. He didn't want to go with everyone else. Pettigrew was after him; didn't he have a right to know what was going on? Sirius gave him a measuring look. "I'll bring him down in a bit, I need to talk to him first"

"I assume you'll be alerting Rufus?" Dumbledore asked, moving to peer at Harry's bed.

Sirius didn't answer – he just gave Dumbledore a slightly apologetic look and waved his wand. A giant dog shot out of the end and raced through the window. "Harry," Sirius turned back to him, grey eyes concerned, as he looked Harry. "What actually happened? Where did you see Pettigrew?"

"He was in my bed!" Harry said, fully aware that there was a slight whinge to his voice. The remaining adults all turned to stare at Harry's bed. Sirius even waved his wand over it. "I was asleep, but I guess he woke me. I could hear a strange snuffling, and then I think the rats' nose touched my ear. I started shouting, and I jumped out of bed" He looked at Dumbledore awkwardly. He was suddenly aware of how stupid his pyjamas looked.

"Quite understandable. What happened next?" Dumbledore asked, smiling reassuringly.

"He legged it under my bed"

At Harry's words, Sirius flung himself to the floor, waving his wand all the while. Harry moved to stand by Remus, who was watching Sirius with a frown on his face. Sirius eventually straightened up, a scowl etched onto his usually handsome features. "There's a hole under there. Barely an inch wide, but this is the man who escaped from a locked cage. I'm sure he thought it was perfect. Bastard" Sirius had muttered the last word to himself, but Harry still heard it.

Remus and Sirius shared a significant look. Harry could only guess that it had something to do with their marauder days. "Are you sure you're alright Harry?" Dumbledore asked, x-raying Harry with his blue eyes. "You have had quite a fright"

Harry nodded. Even if he was scared, he wasn't going to admit it to his headmaster. Remus put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. Harry tried to smile, but he didn't think it worked. He was sure it came out as more of a grimace.

"Right, I'll take Harry down to the Great Hall and meet Scrimgouer. They'll want to search the grounds as well…"

"I'll search the tower," Dumbledore told them. "Oh, and Sirius," Dumbledore added. "Don't let the dementors on the grounds"

Sirius smiled humourlessly, as he led Harry (who knew there was no point in arguing) down the stairs. "Not on my watch"

OoOoOo

Harry was sat in the Great Hall, trying not to let his panic overwhelm him. Peter Pettigrew had been in his room. The man who'd betrayed his parents and framed Sirius had been on his bed. The man who'd ruined all of their lives had been near enough to touch him. The thought made Harry feel sick. He knew that the aurors and teachers were searching for him, but Sirius had told Harry that he wasn't holding out much hope. He said that Peter had always been very good at getting away. Sirius' words hadn't made him feel any better, but what had was that Sirius had trusted him enough to tell him.

Harry dropped his head in his hands. He couldn't do this. He couldn't sit here and dwell on thoughts of Peter Pettigrew. It would drive him mad. The only problem was that that was all Harry could do. The entire student population of Hogwarts had been moved to the Great Hall on the orders of both Sirius and Dumbledore, and they were meant to be sleeping. Harry however, knew full well that he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight. At least not until Sirius or Remus came to tell him what was going on.

He couldn't have slept anyway. He was leaning against the wall of the Great Hall, and he'd found a hole. A tiny crack, barely bigger than a Knut, but it was enough for his exhausted brain to kick into overdrive, filling his vision with images of evil looking rats crawling through the walls and jumping out at him.

"Harry" Sirius said quietly, crouching down in front of him. Harry jumped at his appearance – he hadn't seen him walk in, too caught up in horrible daydreams. "Come with me. Quietly"

Sirius tugged him up from the wall and led him through the doors to the Great Hall. As soon as they closed, Harry turned to Sirius. "Have you found him?"

Sirius sighed loudly. "No we didn't," He dragged Harry into Remus' empty office. "The aurors are still searching the grounds, but I don't think they'll find him"

Harry stared at Sirius, not sure how to feel. Panic, fear and a small dab of terror first and foremost, that Pettigrew was still out there; then guilt, for dragging every body out of bed in the middle of the night just for Pettigrew to run away; and finally pride that Sirius was confiding in him. "How did he get in?"

Sirius' lip curled involuntarily. "Through one of the tunnels. Remus thinks he will have used the one by Honeydukes," Sirius didn't look at him or even change his tone, but Harry squirmed guiltily. That was the one that he'd used to get to Hogsmeade. "But I reckon he will have tried the one that's caved in" Sirius' tone suddenly darkened. "He did find it after all"

Harry's eyes widened. The thought of Pettigrew knowing where all of the secret passages were was one that chilled him to the bone. He normally tried not to think about it. "Is that where Remus is? Checking the tunnels?"

"Yes. I sent Kingsley with him too. Two pairs of eyes are better than one," Sirius smiled at him. "Oh, and I've sealed the crack under your bed. It went all the way down to the fifth floor"

Harry nodded gratefully. The thought of the large crack beneath his bed filled him with all sorts of worries, not least of which was that Pettigrew could return. He knew that was very stupid thing to fear, as neither Sirius, Remus nor Dumbledore would let him harm Harry in any way, but he couldn't help the worry that had settled in his chest.

Sirius lit one of the candles on Remus' desk and threw himself into a chair, the exhaustion plain on his face. "We have to wait for Scrimgouer to come and give us the all clear, but would you like to come home for the rest of the weekend?"

Harry smiled. "I'd like that"

OoOoOo

A day away turned out to be just the thing he needed. He'd fallen into bed almost as soon as they'd flooed home, and had slept solidly until half past eleven. Kura, who had been most displeased at his laziness, was overjoyed to have him home and had spent nearly an hour telling him everything he'd missed. She'd then dragged him into the lounge to keep her company while she coloured. It was something her and Remus had often done together, and while he made a point of joining her whenever he came home, it wasn't the same. Harry however, wasn't paying much attention to Kura as she chattered happily to him. Instead, he was watching Matthew crawl determinedly towards Sirius who was sat in his armchair, newspaper in hand.

He'd grown so much since Harry had last seen him. Thick, chocolate brown curls covered his head, and his inquisitive greeny-grey eyes took in everything that went on around him. Including the tapping of Sirius' sock clad feet. Sirius looked over the top of his newspaper at him.

"And what are you after, little man?" Sirius asked, putting his newspaper down and looking at his nine month old son. Matthew just looked up at him with his large eyes. Then he grabbed Sirius' trouser leg and tried to pull himself to his feet. He managed halfway before his balance gave in and he fell back to the floor. Both Harry and Sirius rushed to comfort him, but he didn't react. He frowned a bit, but then turned to Harry, a smile on his face.

Harry smiled back and jumped to his feet, looking down at Matthew. He held out his hands. "Do you want to try it again?"

There was a pause and then Matthew waved his arms at Harry, who assumed that meant yes and took the much smaller hands in his own. He glanced at Sirius, who just nodded, and then at Matthew. Then he slowly straightened, gradually pulling Matthew into a standing position. Matthew glanced around, and then laughed delightedly at his new vantage point, while Harry grinned broadly.

His fears from yesterday, already soothed by Sirius, evaporated completely at the sound of the little boy laughing. Peter Pettigrew didn't seem such a worrisome threat anymore. How could he when Harry was perfectly safe at home with people who loved him and whom he loved? It was true what they said, Harry thought absently, _laughter really was the best medicine. _

_**AN: To the anonymous reviewer, please stop leaving those horrible comments. I never meant to neglect Sirius and Harry's relationship, and your reviews are really shaking my confidence in writing. Sirius is my favourite character, and I've tried to get across that Harry and Sirius have more of a father-son relationship than Harry and Remus (theirs is more uncle-nephew). I've tried including more scenes with Harry and Sirius, but I don't want to neglect Remus too :/ I hope that makes sense…**_

_**So, only a few chapters left. Once this year's done, I'm going to go back and rewrite some of the earlier chapters (Like I am currently with Fight or Flight)**__** Please review**_


	59. Chapter 59: Questions and Quidditch

Sirius groaned in frustration. Two weeks had passed since Pettigrew had turned up in Harry's dormitory, and there hadn't been a single sighting since. They found his pathway into the castle, and where he'd been hiding, but since then there hadn't been a single lead. They hadn't even been able to figure out where he'd gone once he fled the castle. Pettigrew seemed to have disappeared into thin air. It made Sirius want to scream, regardless of the fact that he was sat in the middle of the auror office, staring at an annotated map showing the very few confirmed sightings of Peter Pettigrew.

"Sirius, stop it" Kingsley said warningly as he resumed his seat next to Sirius. "You haven't moved all day. Staring at that map will get you nowhere"

Sirius ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair. "I just want to know what the hell he's trying to do! I feel like there should be a pattern, and if I stare hard enough I'll spot it"

"And?"

Sirius glared at him. "Nothing. It doesn't make sense. The Pettigrew I knew wasn't this clever!"

Kingsley sighed quietly. They'd gone through all of this nearly every month since Pettigrew had escaped. Sirius continued on, ignoring him completely. "I can't see what he wants. I know from Azkaban that most of the death eaters are not happy with him. I can't see what he thinks getting Harry would achieve"

Sirius gave him a warning look as he spoke, warning him not to make the same mistake as their boss when Sirius had mentioned his dilemma. Sirius had very nearly punched him in the face when Scrimgouer had suggested that Pettigrew wanted to kill Harry just so he could get back on good terms with the death eaters. Pettigrew might not have been as bright as the rest of the marauders, but he wasn't stupid enough to think that'd work. Not to mention it had nearly given Sirius a heart attack to hear his boss talking so callously about Harry's murder.

Kingsley watched him curl his hands into fists, a pensive look on his face. "Do you think he's still after Harry? I mean, surely he knows how well protected the boy is. It can't have been easy to get into Hogwarts. Do you really think he'll try again?"

"I think its wise to assume that he will. He always was very stubborn. If he wants Harry desperately enough, I don't think he'll stop trying until we catch him, no matter how long it takes"

"But he can't get to Harry. The castle is completely sealed off, and he'd have to be a genius to get past all the protections on the grounds," Kingsley paused. "Do you not think he'd run?"

"If he was going to run, he'd have gone already. No, he's obviously got an agenda. I just can't figure out what it is" Sirius replied tiredly. "And anyway, if he did run, we'd be fucked. We wouldn't catch him, so you best hope he doesn't"

Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "Always so positive, aren't you?"

"Only when the situation calls for it," Sirius remarked dryly.

Kingsley's expression darkened as Cornelius Fudge strolled past their desks and into Scrimgouer's office. Sirius frowned after him. "I still don't know what to think about Fudge's decision," remarked Sirius casually. "What he's done deserves the Dementors Kiss, but I know that James and Lily would be appalled. When I was in Azkaban I used to tell myself that I'd break out one day, and commit the murder that I'd been arrested for, but now I'm free I don't want that. I want him to suffer, I want him to live with the fact that he betrayed two of his best friends, and murdered twelve people. I want to see him pay for his crimes, and the Dementors Kiss wouldn't do that. It would be the easy way out, the coward's way out. And he doesn't deserve that. He doesn't deserve our mercy"

OoOoOo

"How high up are we going Sirius?" Harry asked tiredly as they climbed the seemingly endless stairs of the national Quidditch stadium.

"Not much further," Sirius said, glancing down at Harry and Cho, who were holding hands as they climbed the steps. The match between England and Malaysia had coincided with the February trip to Hogsmeade, so Sirius had very bought them all tickets, deciding that they all needed a break. It did mean that Harry and Cho's planned date had to be cancelled, but Sirius had reasoned that if she didn't want to go, the young couple probably wouldn't last very long. Also the fact that she was the Ravenclaw Seeker suggested that she quite enjoyed Quidditch. "I thought you young people were meant to have more energy than us old folk?"

"Speak for yourself Sirius. I happen to be very young" Remus said.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at his best friend. It had been worth bringing him along just to watch Cho try to decide how to react to him. Her respect for him as a teacher was clashing violently with the fact that he'd asked her not to call him Professor outside of school and that he had an excited four year old on his shoulders who kept calling him 'Moony'.

"I think you're both old" Harry added cheekily. Sirius and Remus both turned to stare at him. He smiled innocently at them.

"Well maybe I'll decide I'm too old to get tickets for the Final" Sirius shot back as they shuffled along to their seats.

"Er…maybe I meant mature. Right, Cho?"

Remus laughed. "She's not stupid enough to answer that. Don't drag her down into the hole that you've dug for yourself"

Cho and Sirius sniggered at the indignant look on Harry's face. She hadn't really spoken much, but she'd been very polite. And she liked Quidditch. That was always a plus in Sirius' book. He almost found himself approving of her.

OoOoOo

"Daddy," Kura asked from her perch on Sirius' shoulders as they struggled out of the stadium. "Are Harry and Cho married?"

Sirius nearly choked. "What? No, of course they're not. They're far too young," Plus this was their first date, but Sirius didn't fancy explaining the intricacies of schoolyard dating to the four year old. She was already too clever for her own good. "What makes you ask that?"

"They're holding hands! You and mummy hold hands, and you're married!"

Sirius almost laughed at the confusion and innocence in her voice. He wished she could stay like that forever, and not become hardened to the horrors of the world like he was. He had a horrible feeling that his wish would not come true. "You don't have to be married to hold hands"

"Oh" She answered absently, her mind already elsewhere. Sirius smiled slightly. She was becoming increasingly curious about everything going on around her and the questions were nearly constant, but, with the typical energy of a near five year old, she very rarely stayed still long enough to hear the answer. It was normally amusing, until she'd pull out the 'why?' questions. Those got very annoying very quickly. There was only so many times you could come up with answers to questions like 'why does Jethro like tennis balls?' and 'why do hippogriffs fly?'.

Sirius breathed a deep sigh of relief as soon as they escaped the stuffiness of the crowded staircases. He couldn't bear the feeling of stale air – its weight, its sickly warmth and its choking dryness. It made him feel trapped. That was why there was always at least one window open in whatever room he happened to be in, no matter how cold it was. Alex and Harry had very quickly gotten used to it, with Alex getting very proficient at warming spells, but Remus still had trouble remembering that particular personality quirk of Sirius'.

"Sirius!" Harry called, snapping Sirius out of his thoughts. "You can put an end to this discussion, right? Who's going to win the Cup?"

Sirius smiled. Harry and Cho had apparently been discussing their predictions for the champions, and their opinions obviously were not the same. "I think Ireland will win"

"See? That's what I said," Cho told Harry, smiling in appreciation at Sirius. This was a debate that he'd had more than once with Harry. "They're just too good not to win"

Harry frowned at both of them. "But Bulgaria have one of the best seekers in the world! The seeker is the most important player in the air!"

"He's an amazing player, but Ireland have seven," Sirius said. "And all the seeking skill in the world won't mean anything when the chasers are as good as Ireland's. They could probably win the match on their own"

Harry looked at the two of them and, obviously sensing defeat, let his shoulders slump. "But Krum…"

Sirius rolled his eyes. As a seeker himself, it was only reasonable really that Harry followed global seekers intently. "One thing is for certain. It definitely will not be England in the final. They haven't got a hope in hell of beating Transylvania"

Kura chose that moment to rejoin the conversation. "Why Daddy? Why won't England win?"

Sirius closed his eyes. He had a horrible feeling where this question would lead. Cho took pity on him. "Because Transylvania is a very good team – better than England anyway"

Harry muttered something about vampires, but it was ignored. "Oh," replied Kura. "Why?"

OoOoOo

"Slow down Harry, I didn't catch any of that" Sirius said, holding the mirror in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. It was barely seven o'clock on Sunday morning, the day after he'd taken Harry and Cho to see England play, and he was struggling to wake up properly. Hence the coffee. He always made a habit of forcing himself out of bed early on a Sunday, as that was when he often spoke to Harry, but seven o'clock was early even for Harry. Alex had barely woken him up before Harry started calling him. He stifled a yawn as he looked at Harry's exhausted face.

The thirteen year old sighed loudly at Sirius' request. He began speaking in a deliberately slow voice, though he got quicker as he got angrier. "It was Buckbeak's trial on Friday. They lost. He's being executed"

Sirius' eyes widened. He hadn't really expected the Hippogriff to win, but part of him had hoped that the ministry wasn't as corrupt as he'd feared. But more importantly, he hadn't wanted three third years to experience the bitter and wrong side of ministry justice.

"I'm so sorry Harry. I tried, I really did. I nearly got kicked out of their department actually. But their minds were already made up. The ministry has a very tough stance on creature attacks on children, even if it was provoked and probably deserved. Add to that Lucius walking around waving his wallet and scaring people…"

"This isn't fair! Buckbeak's not dangerous!" Harry said indignantly.

Sirius smiled humourlessly. "The ministry doesn't have the best track record for being fair Harry. Especially when Lucius sticks his nose in," He sighed tiredly. "How's Hagrid taking the news?"

"The letter was wet with tears! Hermione says he wouldn't open his door when she tried to see him yesterday, and he wasn't at dinner"

Sirius sighed again. He could remember a similar time when Hagrid had been distraught over an animal, a long time ago. He could also remember what he and James had done to try and cheer him up. "Don't you dare sneak down to see him Harry. I mean it. Ask Remus to go down with you"

"So now I can't even walk across the grounds on my own?" Harry asked hotly.

"I didn't say that Harry," Sirius answered patiently. "I said you weren't to sneak out. And Remus has known Hagrid for longer than you. I think he might be needed"

Harry smiled sheepishly at him, knowing full well that he'd overreacted. Sirius didn't blame him. If he'd had as many restrictions placed on him as Harry had, Sirius thought he'd have gone mad. It was all for Harry's safety, but Sirius hated having to effectively trap him in the castle. Especially when it meant practically stopping his visits to Hagrid. Harry had known Hagrid for years, and Sirius knew that Harry looked forward to their visits. It made Sirius feel like the villain. Particularly when he knew that Harry only wanted to console his giant friend.

Sirius smiled back. Harry's concern for others always made Sirius so proud he thought his heart would burst. Until it lead to him doing something incredibly reckless. Then it made Sirius want to throttle him.

_**AN: Thank you all so much for all the reviews I've got about the last chapter. I had a really suckish week, and they've made me feel better, even though I didn't reply to them all. **_

_**Please review?**_


	60. Chapter 60: Sorrow and Success

For once, Harry actually followed Sirius' safety restrictions without moaning. The knowledge that a serial killer was after you tended to have that sort of effect. It did mean that he couldn't go and visit Hagrid, and that he couldn't really go anywhere exciting with Cho, but it was a small price to pay to stop his nightmares of murderous rats leaping out of walls. He and Remus made a point of visiting Hagrid at least once a week, normally with Ron, Hermione and occasionally Neville, but the giant man was still a mess – something that Malfoy apparently found very funny. Which was why he and his cronies were currently pointing and cackling at Hagrid as he walked back to his hut, face in his hands, after walking the third years back to the castle.

"Look how pathetic he is? Blubbering over that beast!" Malfoy said scathingly. His comments were greeted by stupid guffaws from Crabbe and Goyle.

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry hissed. "This is your fault!"

His pale eyebrows rose disdainfully. "It's not my fault that oaf was stupid enough to bring that beast to class"

"If you'd listened in the first lesson, you'd have known not to be such a prat!" Harry shot back.

"If he wasn't such a poor teacher, none of this would have happened" Malfoy said innocently. The effect was somewhat ruined by the malicious smile that spread over his face.

Harry, Ron and Neville all moved towards him furiously, each reaching for their wands, but Hermione got there first. She slapped him across the face. Hard.

Harry's jaw dropped. Malfoy staggered backwards, a shocked and horrified expression on his face. "Don't you dare! You foul – evil…"

Hermione raised her hand again. "Hermione!" Ron said weakly, apparently unable to believe what he'd just seen. He grabbed Hermione's wrist as she swung it back, ready to hit Malfoy again.

"Get off Ron!"

Malfoy shot them all a malicious look, which was ruined somewhat by the still panicked look in his eyes. Then he turned and fled, muttering darkly about Mudbloods as he went. Crabbe and Goyle stood stupidly for a moment, staring at the Gryffindors, and then turned and ran after Malfoy, nearly knocking a passing first year to the ground in their haste.

Harry stared at Hermione in shock, quite sure that Ron and Neville were doing the same next to him. In fact, Neville stared at Hermione for so long that he walked into the door. Ron and Harry didn't notice.

"Harry, you better beat him in the final!" Hermione said angrily, stopping only to offer a hand to Neville. "I can't bear the thought of him winning!"

"I'll do my best" Harry eventually said as they began to climb the stairs.

There was a pause, which Ron eventually broke in a stunned, almost disbelieving voice. "Hermione… I can't believe you just did that! That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen"

She didn't respond – she was still staring after Malfoy and practically shaking with rage. Neville watched her carefully, almost as if expecting her to lash out at him. "We're due in charms"

OoOoOo

"What a load of rubbish" Hermione scoffed angrily.

They were once again sat in the stuffy divination classroom, listening to Professor Trelawney explain, in her mystical voice, the crystal ball. Ron, although still in shock over Hermione slapping Malfoy earlier, was sniggering uncontrollably as Professor Trelawney told them to "relax their outer eyes" and so didn't hear Hermione's comment. Harry however, did. He stared open-mouthed at her, scarcely able to believe it. He couldn't remember ever hearing her criticise a teacher. Not to mention the earlier incident. It was like she was an entirely different person.

"Please begin" Professor Trelawney said, apparently not having heard Hermione's comment, or Ron's stifled laughter. She waved her arms dramatically at them, signalling for them to turn to the crystal balls in front of them.

Harry didn't know if he'd ever felt so foolish before in his life. He was meant to be keeping a clear mind, but that was becoming increasingly difficult. Hermione kept tutting, and he had to fight his rising feeling of absurdity at what they were doing. Ron and Neville weren't really helping either. Ron kept breaking into sniggers and Neville was staring so intently at the Crystal Ball you'd think it had just offered him the meaning of life.

"This is so stupid!" Hermione eventually burst out, obviously unable to hold her silence any longer.

Ron and Harry shared a look. "Not seen anything then?" Harry asked lightly, ignoring the fact that he hadn't seen anything either.

Hermione scoffed. "This is such a waste of time! There are far more important things that I could be doing, instead of pretending to see things in a crystal ball!"

Neville and Ron both shook their heads at her. "Ah," Ron said in a mystical voice. "You obviously haven't relaxed your outer eyes"

Harry, Hermione and Neville burst out laughing. Professor Trelawney glared at them as she approached their table. "Quiet! You are disturbing the aura in this room!"

Harry smirked at her words. The smile however, fell from his face as she peered into their fog filled crystal ball. He already knew what she was going to say. She gasped dramatically. "There is something here… something dark…" She gazed up at Harry, tears in her eyes. "It stalks closer and closer, the Grim!"

Harry fought not to laugh at the fearful expression on her face. He had a feeling what the grim was that Trelawney claimed to see, and he found the whole situation to be rather amusing. As did Sirius when Harry had told him everything.

Hermione however did not see the funny side of Trelawney's repeated pronouncements of doom. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Not that stupid grim again!"

Professor Trelawney raised her eyebrows haughtily. "If you fail to appreciate the seriousness of what I See, then I'm afraid I cannot help you. No, from the very moment you set foot in this classroom, I sensed that you were ill suited for the art of divination"

Hermione stared at Trelawney for a moment, ignoring that every student in the classroom was staring at the confrontation. "Fine!" Hermione said suddenly, standing up and swinging her heavy bag onto her shoulder. "I'm leaving!"

And she turned on her heel and stormed out of the classroom, leaving the rest of the class staring after her in shock.

OoOoOo

As March swept into April, Harry had far bigger concerns than Hermione walking out of divination. The Final of the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup was approaching, and despite their loss earlier in the year, Gryffindor house had a very good chance of winning for the first time in seven years. Something which was making Oliver Wood nearly delirious with joy. It was his last year at Hogwarts this year, and he was desperate to finally win the cup. So desperate that he was making the team practice 6 days a week. He would have made them practice every day, but Angelina and Alicia had both demanded that they had at least one day off. Harry had privately agreed with them, but had been wise enough not to tell him that.

Tensions were high amongst the rest of the school as well over the upcoming Quidditch final. So high that it became almost a daily occurrence for a fight to break out between members of Gryffindor and Slytherin houses. Ron and Neville had already both been sent to the Hospital Wing for blocking or getting in the way of spells sneakily aimed at Harry – Ron's skin had turned a very bright shade of blue that had clashed horrifically with his hair, and Neville had sprouted carrots from his ears. It had got to the point where Wood had practically ordered the rest of Gryffindor House to keep the rest of the team safe, even if it did mean following them everywhere.

After nearly a month and a half of being followed, they were here. The day that Oliver Wood had been preparing them for since September had finally come. The final day of the Quidditch season. The day that would decide if their team, arguably the best team that Hogwarts had seen in years, would go down in history as champions; or if they would fade away, to be remembered only amongst the endless list of teams that _could _have won. It wouldn't matter then that Wood had pushed them so hard that Fred's arm had seized up from swinging his bat so often, or that Alicia had nearly caught hypothermia from being in the air too long. All that would matter then would be that they had lost.

Harry was so caught up in his depressing thoughts that he barely paid attention to Wood's passionate speech, or to the cheers of the crowd as the changing room door opened. He only snapped out of it when Katie elbowed him. Looking as nervous as Harry felt, she waved for Harry to grab his broom and follow her onto the pitch. He gulped audibly, shouldered his firebolt and followed the six scarlet clad figures who walked before him.

There had been a kind of dull hum of noise when they were shut away in the changing room, but the roar of all four houses was almost deafening. Harry looked in vain for a familiar face among the crowd, but they were all too far away for him to make out anything.

"Here come the Gryffindors! Wood, Spinnet, Bell, Johnson, Weasley, Weasley and Potter!" There was an upsurge in noise as Fred and George waved excitedly at the crowd. Harry however, did not. He felt like the bottom of his stomach had fallen out. Especially when he watched the Slytherin team strut out of their changing room.

"Captains, shake hands" Madam Hooch said sharply, her voice somehow managing to cut over the noise. Wood and Flint moved forward, intense looks of dislike on each of their faces as they very quickly shook hands.

"Mount your brooms! Three… two… one!"

Harry's nerves melted away as he shot into the air. The roar of the crowd swelled as Lee Jordan began his commentary. "And the game begins!"

Harry glanced down at the crowd. Three quarters of the stands were waving scarlet and gold flags or banners. He spotted Remus waving at him, and Sirius pointing up at him. The reason became clear a moment later. Kura was sat next to him, her excited face painted a mixture of red and gold. Harry grinned broadly, and waved at them, spotting Alex's dad next to the five year old.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORE! Ten points to nil!" Lee shouted as Angelina fought her way forward and scored. The crowd roared their approval.

The Slytherins however were not impressed. Flint collided with Angelina, nearly knocking her off her broom. The crowd booed loudly at him, as he tried to maintain that he hadn't seen her. Nobody believed him, but apparently Fred least of all. He threw his bat at the head of the offending Slytherin.

Madam Hooch was furious as she gave each side a penalty, despite the protests of both Flint and Fred. Harry watched with bated breath as Alicia scored and Wood managed to block the Slytherin penalty. Twenty nil to Gryffindor.

It very quickly became the dirtiest match that Harry had ever seen. By the time the score was seventy ten to Gryffindor; Harry had nearly had his head taken off by the beaters, Wood had likely broken two of his ribs, Katie had had the Quaffle knocked out of her hands with such force that she'd got friction burn, George had nearly cracked his head open after smashing his face into his broom handle (bludger to the back of the head), and Alicia had nearly been pulled off her broom when Warrington had grabbed her head instead of the Quaffle.

Harry felt some of his nerves return. The chasers and the keeper had done their job, now it was his. Oliver had repeatedly told him to wait to catch the snitch until they were at least fifty points ahead, and now they were. He swiped his sleeve across his glasses and then resumed his search for the snitch, trying to ignore all the eyes that were currently watching him.

And then he saw it. Hovering less than thirty feet above him.

He shot upwards at such a rapid speed that it drew gasps from the crowd. The gasps turned to cries of outrage when his ascent slowed. Harry wasn't sure why, until he turned around. His jaw dropped in outrage. Malfoy had grabbed the tail of the firebolt, and was pulling it back, his eyes glinting maliciously.

Harry reached back in fury, not quite sure what he was intending to do. "You little –"

Malfoy flashed him a smug grin and let go off the broom. Harry shot him a look of purest loathing and then looked back at the snitch. It had gone.

Lee was cursing furiously at him, whilst trying to dance out of the way of McGonagall's inevitable taking of the microphone. He needn't have bothered. She, along with Sirius and Remus, was shouting furiously at the blonde haired Slytherin. It didn't matter though. He'd achieved what he'd set out to do in stopping Harry from catching the snitch. The ten points from Alicia's penalty didn't matter.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee said, traces of anger still plain in his voice. "Heading for goal – come on Fred!" The bludger hit furiously in his direction hit the end of Montague's broom, but not before he'd already thrown the Quaffle. "Montague scores… Oh no" The Slytherins roared their approval.

Harry didn't care though. He'd just spotted the snitch hovering beneath the Gryffindor goal post. Malfoy, who'd been marking Harry closely, despite numerous attempts to shake him off, spotted it too. They zoomed towards it together, but Harry began to pull away and close in on the snitch. Harry threw his arm forward and closed his fist around the snitch.

"YES!"

The crowd practically exploded. Harry didn't hear anymore as Wood flew toward him, shouting in joy. He threw himself at Harry, as did the rest of the team, and they sank to the floor as a many armed and legged creature, still shouting hoarsely.

The crowd burst onto the pitch, Gryffindor flags still waving frantically. Oliver lifted Harry onto his shoulders (he was nearly weeping with joy) and they ran to meet the oncoming wave of scarlet clad supporters. Ginny Weasley, her face painted the same garish red and gold as Kura, was jumping up and down maniacally with Percy, Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder than Wood (who was still carrying Harry on his shoulders), and Sirius' grin was so wide it threatened to split his face in half. Alex's dad Peter, with Kura on his shoulders, was shouting congratulations and Remus, who'd obviously been forced into wearing the Gryffindor hat again, was beaming at him. He finally spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville. They were grinning broadly at him, apparently unable to form words.

Wood eventually, amidst much shoulder clapping and sobbing, eventually led the team over to the podium where Dumbledore was waiting. He only put Harry down when the headmaster handed him the silver Quidditch cup.

_**AN: I'm so sorry this is late. Its been really hot in Britain this week, and I don't do well in heat. And then the Ashes started, and it was so close that I couldn't look away. Yay England!**_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter – I'm not 100% on it. Please review**_


	61. Chapter 61: Mischief and Murder

"Do you think, as a student, I could be arrested for murder?" Harry asked nonchalantly, watching Remus' increasingly desperate attempts to pretend that he didn't already have a small pile of exams to mark. It wasn't working, and his eyes were drawn back, yet again to the stack of first year tests.

"I don't think they'd send a child to Azkaban," Remus said slowly, slightly thrown off by this topic of conversation. "Though I would advise you against it. It would create an awful lot of paperwork for the teachers, and I don't think it would be very wise in the middle of exam season," Remus paused and looked at Harry, noting the dark circles under his green eyes, which clearly indicated another late night. "Who are you planning on murdering?"

Harry smiled wryly. "Hermione. She's gone nuts Remus, I think these exams have pushed her over the edge. She nearly bit Ron's head off for dropping a book in the same room as her!"

Remus looked at him, his expression blank. Harry and Ron had long since confessed their fears over Hermione's extensive workload, but there wasn't a lot that he could do about it. When he brought it up with her, rather timidly, she'd repeatedly assured him that she was fine, and that her only regret was that Alex only taught muggle languages to non-NEWT students. Remus knew for a fact that Alex had only changed that rule this year, so that Hermione couldn't take any more classes than the fourteen that she was already taking. He hadn't however been stupid enough to tell Hermione that particular fact.

"Do you know, she refused to speak to me in any language other than French this morning? Ron and Neville didn't have a clue what the bloody hell we were saying!"

"Language Harry," Remus said sharply. Harry bowed his head, looking dejected which made Remus feel, if possible, even worse about telling him off. He hated having to punish Harry, but as Sirius was much more likely to laugh off rule breaking (unless Harry was in danger), Remus felt like he ought to. Didn't make him feel any less guilty about it however. "I think it might be best to, er, avoid Hermione this week. Just until exams are over"

Harry's shoulders slumped. "And then Buckbeak gets executed"

Remus sighed. "Harry, I need you to look at me," Harry did so, though with rather obvious reluctance. "We've done everything we can for Buckbeak. I know he hasn't said anything, but I also know that Hagrid is incredibly grateful for everything you've done for him"

"Didn't work though, did it?" Harry asked sullenly, his eyes staring at the floor again.

Remus sighed again. "Maybe not, but you still tried. Harry, that meant everything to Hagrid. And to Sirius"

Harry brightened. "Really?"

Remus smiled slightly and nodded. "He was very proud that you fought so damn hard for justice," _Longer than I did. _Remus frowned. He'd never forgive himself for leaving Sirius in Azkaban for so long. It was only a chance encounter with one of their school friends that had made Remus go to see him in the first place. He shivered slightly. Given how bad Sirius had looked after just under three years in Azkaban, Remus dreaded to think what state he'd be in after twelve. That is, if he lasted that long. He shook his head rapidly. "You should go and do some revision Harry"

OoOoOo

Remus groaned to himself as he sank into his office chair. Four large stacks of unmarked exams sat on his desk, and despite his attempts, the piles showed no sign of diminishing. It half made him want to cry. Teaching at Hogwarts had been a dream come true, but there were moments that still made him want to smash his face into his desk. Marking was the main cause of this desire. He didn't mind the actual act of marking, it was doing it over and over again that really got to him. That was why he'd felt so smug when he'd come up with the idea of a practical test for the third years. That was one less test he'd have to mark.

Sighing loudly and cursing his ability to write long exam papers, Remus dragged over the largest stack of tests. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he read the first question. _"Explain the advantages of non-verbal spells". _It was going to be a long afternoon.

By the time Sirius fell out of the fireplace, Remus had managed to mark half of the offending stack of tests, whilst also managing to eat an entire box of Honeydukes chocolate. Well, he told himself, it was the full moon tonight. He was well within his rights to eat as much chocolate as he wanted.

"Thank god Sirius. If you'd been any longer I was debating making a cup of hot chocolate and drowning myself in it!"

Sirius' eyebrows rose as he took in the discarded chocolate box, the numerous stacks of parchment, and the expression on Remus' face. It was halfway between boredom and exhaustion. "Not enjoying exam week then?" Remus glared at him. He shuddered slightly as he, rather joyfully, extricated himself from his desk. Sirius frowned. "Are you sure you're alright? I can go on my own…"

Remus snorted. "No you can't. Your idea of cheering someone up is to get them so hammered that they can't stand," Sirius stared at him defiantly. Remus fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I'll be fine. As long as we're back here in time for me to take my delightful potion, which we will be, everything will go to plan"

OoOoOo

"Hagrid! It's us, let us in" Harry's voice hissed.

Remus' eyebrows rose in surprise, and then sunk into a frown. He glanced over at Sirius. A similar scowl to Remus' contorted his face. Harry was not meant to be here... Here, of course being Hagrid's hut. Sirius and Remus had been sat with him for nearly an hour, carefully avoiding the rock cakes they were offered and trying to console their friend. Hagrid had always been the sort who wore his heart on his sleeve, so this new Hagrid was something the two marauders hadn't expected. They'd expected a sobbing mess, but what they found instead was a half-giant who suddenly didn't look so large. He looked like he didn't know what to do. He looked lost.

Hagrid strode to the door. "Yeh shouldn' have come" He stepped back as Harry whipped the invisibility cloak off, revealing Ron and Hermione sandwiched beside him.

"No, you shouldn't have" Sirius said darkly. Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he spotted Sirius and Remus. Sirius had his arms folded and was doing his best to look intimidating. Remus smiled wryly. Sirius had always had a taste for drama.

"Ah" Was all Harry could manage. Ron and Hermione were doing their best to look small behind him.

"Yes, I think that might be an appropriate reaction," Sirius said, gesturing for Hagrid to shut the door behind them. "Care to explain why you've snuck out of the castle? Particularly as you promised me that you wouldn't?"

Harry suddenly found his shoes very interesting. Remus fixed his gaze on Ron and Hermione. "We came to see Hagrid" Harry finally mumbled, glancing up once at the trembling Hagrid.

Sirius snorted. "Yes, thank you. I think I'd gathered that"

Harry looked up, a mixture of defiance and hope on his face. He knew that Sirius probably wouldn't stay angry for much longer, particularly if he made a point of making and keeping eye contact. "We couldn't leave him on his own"

Sirius rubbed his face tiredly, his anger gone. He glared at the defiant thirteen year old in front of him, and then he sighed loudly. "No, I don't suppose you could. But," Sirius turned stern again. "Please don't sneak out again"

"He's right" Hagrid said quietly. "I'm no' worth yeh getting in ter trouble"

Harry looked like he very much disagreed, though he wisely didn't say anything. Hagrid offered everybody a cup of tea, which Remus ended up serving when Hagrid, who hadn't stopped trembling, dropped the teapot. It had shattered and soaked Sirius' feet in boiling hot water, but he hadn't said anything. He'd just vanished it with a flick of his wand and carried on trying to make Hagrid smile.

OoOoOo

"Will you three be quiet?" Remus hissed at them as they lurked out of sight of Hagrid's hut. He was not in a particularly happy mood. He'd been forced to significantly alter the plan when Harry and his friends had appeared, and he still wasn't completely sure of his new plan. Remus held his breath, waited for Sirius to draw the minister into a pointed conversation about justice and unfair trials, and prepared to do something very stupid.

He darted forward, stopping just out of reach of Buckbeak's rather intimidating talons. He bowed deeply. Buckbeak regarded him haughtily and clicked his beak angrily. Remus gulped and held his breath. Buckbeak had liked him the last time Remus had tried. The plan had been based on that very fact, because he most definitely had not liked Sirius. That had only left Remus, despite it being Sirius' idea, but things were not turning out as planned. Buckbeak gave a strangled cry and, praying dearly that nobody had turned to look from within the hut, Remus slowly backed away.

Before he could even begin to think of an alternative, Harry shot past him and bowed to Buckbeak. Remus watched in horror as he saw figures move in the hut. Buckbeak bowed and Harry quickly untied him and led him over to Remus, murmuring reassuringly at the hippogriff.

"Harry," Remus hissed as he led them into the fringe of the forest. "If you ever do something like that again, I will have to kill you"

Harry grinned at him. "You mean help? OK, I won't interfere again if there's a hippogriff about to attack you"

Remus glared. "You know full well what I meant. If you'd been seen…"

"What if you'd been seen?" Harry hissed back as Ron and Hermione shuffled awkwardly behind him.

"It's a chance I was willing to take to save an innocent creature from a terrible fate" Remus ran a hand through his hair. "I need the three of you to go back to the castle," Remus waved a hand to stop the three angry retorts that were inevitably being prepared. "They're going to realise that Buckbeak's gone in a minute, and it won't be pretty. You need to be in the castle before they search the grounds"

"But we can h-"

"No" Remus said sternly, interrupting Ron. "You can't. You three need to put the cloak on and go back to your Common Room. And," Remus added lightly, catching Harry's eye. "You need to stay there. There will be other dangers on the grounds tonight"

Harry's eyes widened in understanding. "Go on. Buckbeak and I will be fine. I have a plan"

OoOoOo

"Hurry up Sirius! There's a potion at the castle that I need to take"

Sirius gave him a withering look. "I had to get away from Hagrid and Dumbledore. And persuade the minister that a search was utterly pointless"

Remus gave him a sidelong glance as they walked back to the castle. "And antagonize the executioner, no doubt"

"Only a little bit," Sirius said defensively. "It was MacNair. I never did get him back properly after he nearly blew my bike up"

"So, insulting him made you feel bet-" Remus' retort was cut short as he tripped over something large. He looked around, but couldn't see what it was that had cost him his balance. "What in Godric's name…?"

Sirius smirked at him and reached his hands out like a blind man, feeling around for whatever Remus had tripped over. It obviously worked, because a moment later his hand tightened on something in midair and he drew it up. Remus recognised it as an invisibility cloak, but it was what it had been concealing that made Remus' jaw drop. Ron and Hermione were lay on the ground, unmoving, eyes closed.

"Ennervate," Sirius said, reviving first Hermione and then Ron. He crouched down next to them. "What happened?"

Both Ron and Hermione tried to answer at the same time. They shared a look. Ron answered angrily. "Some bastard attacked us"

Sirius' eyebrows rose at the profanity. "A man?" They both nodded. "What happened to Harry? Where is he?"

They both frowned and shook their heads. Hermione answered. "I don't know. It- it just came out of nowhere. Being attacked I mean. We were doing what Professor Lupin said, and then Ron just fell forward. I don't remember anymore"

Sirius went so pale that he looked like he was about to faint. Remus felt as bad as he looked. He felt like his heart had just dropped out of his body. Only one thought permeated his panic, and he didn't even need to meet Sirius' eyes to know that they were thinking the same thing. Peter Pettigrew had taken Harry.

_**AN: Sorry about the massive delay. I'm working on the next chapter now **__** Please review?**_


	62. Chapter 62: Truth and Terror

Harry didn't know where he was. He didn't know how he'd got here, and he didn't know why he was here. All he knew was that he'd woken up with a splitting headache and that he couldn't move. It didn't take him very long to recognise the full body bind. Which he supposed was why he couldn't feel the pain in his knee from falling, face first onto the rocky path, and why he was slumped against the wall. He was lay against the wall of a rather large, very dirty room. The floor was covered in at least an inch of dust, and the only other thing in the room, a large sofa, was threadbare and torn. It had obviously been slashed and ripped numerous times. The smell of rot was thick in the air, as was the odd creak of an undisturbed floorboard.

Harry suddenly had a horrible feeling that he knew exactly where he was. And who had brought him there.

"Hello Harry" Said a rather squeaky, scratchy voice. Harry stared around the room, and eventually spotted a rather small, twitchy man leaning against the far wall. He was twirling Harry's wand in his hand.

Harry glared fiercely at him, or at least as fiercely as someone could glare without being able to move their eyebrows. He knew exactly who he was. Peter Pettigrew waved his wand and muttered something. Harry felt feeling rush back to his limbs, but Pettigrew pointed his wand at him when he climbed to his feet. Harry raised his hands slowly.

"If you move, I will kill you," He snarled and, almost unconsciously, grabbed his left forearm. "I need to take you, but I want to explain first. I want you to know that I am not a bad person"

Harry stared at him. "You betrayed my parents! You murdered those poor muggles!" He cried, unable to believe what he was hearing. Maybe Pettigrew was mad after all…

Pettigrew flinched. "I did. Their deaths were unavoidable," Harry's mouth dropped open. He sounded so casual about admitting murder. "I- I had no choice"

Harry found himself echoing Remus' words from so long ago. "There is always a choice, even if the alternative is too ghastly to think about" Harry took a deep breath. Thinking about Remus, and Sirius, made him feel braver.

Pettigrew visibly recoiled at his words. Then he spoke, a deadened look in his eyes. "My choice was to serve the Dark Lord or die"

"I didn't want to Harry, you see? He made me. The Dark Lord can be very… persuasive," He paused. "He knew when I lied. I couldn't hide anything from him," He paused again, apparently searching for the right words. "Do you know what that's like Harry?" He stepped closer, so close that Harry could have reached out and touched the dirty grey robe that he was wearing. "To have someone dive into your mind? To have them know all your secrets, your fears? To have them know your heart?" He smiled bitterly. "I do"

Harry took a shuddering breath as Pettigrew continued. "I tried, you know. To save James. I thought I could distract the Dark Lord from your parents. I gave him other information, about other members of the Order. I thought it would make him stop," He paused. "But then people started to get suspicious. They knew there was a spy. So I did the only thing I could"

Harry retorted angrily at this point. "You turned your friends against each other, for no other reason than to save your own skin!"

Pettigrew shook his head. "I was trapped. If they had found me, the Dark Lord would have killed me. I would have outlived my usefulness, see?" He smiled. "I didn't want to die, and it was then that I realised I'd have to give the Dark Lord what he wanted. It was them or me, and I chose them. I put in place a plan to give the Dark Lord what he wanted, to give the Order the perfect spy and to remove any suspicion from myself. It was perfect, but then-"

Harry grinned bitterly. "I got in the way"

Pettigrew glared at him, but before he could respond Sirius kicked down the wooden door and burst into the room, disarming his former friend almost as soon as both feet landed on the floor. Remus followed moments later. Pettigrew's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the two wands aimed at him.

"Harry! Thank Merlin! Are you alright, are you hurt?" Sirius said, rushing over to pull him into a one armed hug, his wand still pointed at Pettigrew over Harry's shoulder. Harry finally relaxed, letting the anger and the terror just drain out of him.

"No, I'm fine," Harry said, ignoring his bleeding knee. "He just wanted to explain"

"Explain?" Sirius said incredulously. "I should hope he has a very fucking good explanation"

Pettigrew shifted awkwardly as Sirius glared at him with such ferocity that Harry was half surprised there wasn't a large hole, burning hole in the middle of his face. He clutched his left arm tightly, almost cradling it to his chest. "Sirius," He said in a shaky voice, not able to meet the much taller mans eyes. "I just wanted to-"

"Don't," Sirius growled darkly. "Don't you dare try to justify what you did!"

Pettigrew glanced around the room. "I – I am sorry"

"Sorry? You think sorry will fix the families you've broken? The lives you've ruined?" Sirius said as Remus stared disbelievingly at him. "James. You killed James and Lily. They were your friends!" Sirius paused, as he took a step forward. Pettigrew recoiled in fear. "And you killed them"

Harry caught a glimpse of Sirius' face, and he shivered. It didn't look the Sirius he knew anymore, his face contorted in such rage and hatred. He could understand why Pettigrew was slowly trying to back away from him. It was downright frightening the way his usually mischievous grey eyes had turned so cold. So angry.

"I didn't have a choice! The Dark Lord would have killed me"

"Then you should have died!" Sirius shouted. "As we would have died for you!"

Pettigrew shook his head, smiling sadly. "No you wouldn't have. You never liked me"

"That's not true," Remus said quietly. Harry jumped, he'd almost forgotten that Remus was there. "You were our friend. Did that mean so little to you?"

"Remus…" Pettigrew squeaked, raising his hands beseechingly.

"Don't" Remus spat. "You lost that right when you murdered two of my best friends. And when you tried to murder Harry. He was a baby, Peter, and you tried to kill him"

Peter's eyes flickered to Harry, who glared stonily back. This man had cost him his parents. He'd stolen three years of Sirius' life, and he'd nearly destroyed Remus. He was the reason why Harry could hear his mother screaming when a dementor came too close. He was the reason why Sirius still woke screaming some nights, and he was the reason why Harry had to rely on Sirius and Remus to learn about his parents.

Pettigrew opened his mouth to answer, but Sirius, who'd obviously had enough from him (or just didn't like the thought of him talking to Harry), stepped forward and punched him in the face. Hard. Harry and Remus' jaws dropped as Peter collapsed to the floor, blood spurting from between his hands as he raised them to his face.

"Sirius!" Remus said weakly, staring as Sirius shook his hand in pain.

"No," Sirius snapped. "We don't need to hear any more of the sob story he tells himself to try to justify what he did," Sirius hauled Pettigrew to his feet. Their noses were barely six inches apart. "It doesn't stand up, does it? What you did… it can't be justified. You killed your friends, people who trusted you, because you were a coward!"

Pettigrew stared at him murderously, blood still dripping from his nose. Sirius let go of the filthy robes in disgust and continued, in a voice very much unlike his own. "I think it's about time we re-introduced you to some old friends. They've been very worried you see," Pettigrew's eyes widened as Sirius gave him a twisted smile. "They might even want to give you a kiss"

The colour had drained from Pettigrew's face and he began to tremble as he sank to the floor. "No… Sirius please… We, we were friends… Please"

Sirius looked at him, disgust on his face. "You know, I fought against the kiss. I wanted you to pay for your crimes. I wanted you to wake up every day and have to live with what you've done," He paused, and Harry stared at him. He hadn't known that. "But now," He glanced at Harry momentarily, taking in his bloody knee and pale, terrified face. "I just want you gone. I want my family to be safe again"

Harry stared at Sirius. He didn't want a man to be kissed on his behalf. "NO!" The three men turned to him. "He can go back to Azkaban," He met Sirius' eyes. "I don't think mum and dad would want him to be kissed"

Sirius seemed to deflate. He'd always been very protective of Harry, and this year he'd taken that to the extreme. But, no doubt because of his unjust incarceration, he'd always had a keen sense of justice. Harry guessed that was why he and Remus had conspired to free Buckbeak. Harry assumed that Sirius, as he had been known to do, had let his panic and anger over Pettigrew taking Harry overwhelm any other thoughts that he might have had.

OoOoOo

Harry staggered out of the tunnel with a scowl. His knee was still bleeding, and his headache was getting worse. He took a deep gulp of fresh air, watching in amusement as Sirius levitated Pettigrew, who'd been stunned and bound, out of the tunnel, making sure to hit his head on one of the lower hanging branches of the Whomping Willow. Sirius sent him a sly grin.

Remus, who was pointedly ignoring Sirius' behaviour, suddenly smiled. "I don't know if I've ever been so glad to see McGonagall after curfew in all my life"

Harry and Sirius both turned to see Ron, Hermione and Professor McGonagall rush towards them. She gave Pettigrew a very dirty look as she approached. "How did this happen?"

"He kidnapped Harry" Remus said quietly, watching as Sirius released the spell and dumped Pettigrew rather unceremoniously on the ground.

"And why is his nose broken?"

"He kidnapped Harry" Sirius repeated blankly, as if that was sufficient answer.

McGonagall looked at Sirius, then shook her head in exasperation. "And how did he manage to take Harry?"

Harry squirmed awkwardly. There was no way out of this one, but then – "He was with me. As were Ron and Hermione," Sirius said. Ron's mouth dropped open, and for the second time tonight Harry stared at Sirius, absolutely stunned. "We were with Hagrid. But I told them to leave just before the executioner got there. They didn't need to see that," Sirius glanced at Harry, who quickly trod on Ron's foot. He scowled at Harry. "I didn't even think of Pettigrew…"

Sirius shook his head for effect. McGonagall looked at them all and smiled thinly. "Well, at least he's back in custody now"

The corners of Sirius' lips twitched into what might have been a smile. Harry thought it looked more like a grimace. "I'd still like to know how he got out of custody in the first place"

McGonagall gave him a sharp look. "You want to question him then?"

"I do," Sirius said. He caught Harry's eye. "Would you take him up to the castle please? I want a word with Harry"

"Of course" McGonagall answered. She waved her wand at Pettigrew, who began to levitate towards the castle, McGonagall following after.

Ron immediately turned to Sirius, his eyes wide. "Thanks Mr Black!"

Sirius shrugged. "What kind of marauder would I be if I didn't at least try to get you out of detention?"

"A mature one?" Remus muttered. Sirius scowled at him.

Harry suddenly let out a hiss of pain and clapped his hand to his forehead. Just for a moment, his scar had burned red hot. By the time Sirius and Remus had turned to stare at him, the pain had already faded so all he was left with was the same headache as before.

"Wh- Harry, are you alright?" Sirius asked urgently. "Is it your scar?"

Harry obediently dropped his hand, so Sirius could reach up and feel his forehead. "Yeah, I… It's gone now though"

Sirius frowned, but didn't move his hand from Harry's head. Harry didn't mind – it had only just struck him how hot his head and face were, and Sirius' hand was cool. "You sure?" Sirius asked. "We should get back to the castle, its already dark"

The words had barely left his mouth before he turned to stare at Remus. Remus' eyes were wide with fear, and his skin was pale. The full moon was visible behind his head.

_**Please review x**_


	63. Chapter 63: Pain and Patronuses

"You need to run! All of you!" Sirius shouted as he watched violent shudders begin to tear through Remus' body. Sirius had never actually seen Remus transform before, despite having known about his condition for more than twenty years, but he'd never expected it to be this brutal. He couldn't drag his eyes away. He watched in horror as Remus let out an inhuman scream. His skin literally tore as his face began to lengthen and his limbs began to change. There was a horrible grinding noise that could be heard over the wails, Sirius could only assume that it was all the bones and muscles shifting. Fur started to appear where skin had once been, and his teeth grew until they protruded from his mouth. He howled in agony, and then it was over.

A fully-grown werewolf stood in front of Sirius, shaking its head as if trying to get rid of the echoes of pain. Sirius was vaguely aware of Harry's hand on his back, and Hermione's whimpers. Ron had his mouth open in horror as he stared at what had been his Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and a man that he had known and trusted for nine years.

"RUN!" Sirius shouted again. Moony froze as Sirius stepped forward and shifted into Padfoot. They stared at each other for a moment, teeth bared and then Moony charged at them.

Padfoot had never dealt with the full werewolf on his own, at least not without the Wolfsbane potion, so he wasn't completely sure if he could fight him off and keep everybody, himself included, safe. That didn't stop him from trying though. He threw himself forwards as well, and dog and werewolf collided with a horrible snarl, teeth and claws clashing frantically. They eventually parted, the werewolf retreating a few steps.

Padfoot growled fiercely at the werewolf, who took no notice of him and lunged forward again. As they clashed again, Padfoot managed to sink his teeth into Moony's shoulder. _Sorry Remus. _Moony yelped loudly and swiped a claw at Padfoot's face. It was his turn to yelp then as Moony's claws left deep gouges across his nose. They separated again, both snarling.

Hermione let out a loud whimper from somewhere behind him. Padfoot ran forward, hoping to herd Moony into the forest. Moony backed away slightly, confused. Baring his teeth, Padfoot continued running towards him. Moony snapped warningly, but with the safety of the children on his mind, Padfoot kept running. He landed a painful nip to Moony's flank and front leg, before Moony managed to latch his teeth around Padfoot's back leg. Padfoot let out a pitiful whine, hearing teeth scrape against bone, but he didn't let it stop him. He continued nipping and scratching until Moony, seeing that he was beaten, turned tail and fled into the forest.

He heard Harry shout to him, but Padfoot ignored him and limped into the forest, taking great effort not to put too much weight on his back leg. It was bleeding freely, and the pain was making him whimper with each step, but he kept going. He had to find Moony. He had to make sure that Moony stayed in the forest, but he also had to keep Moony out of the more dangerous parts of the forest.

However, he barely made it ten steps before his legs started trembling. He growled viciously, knowing instantly that there was no way he could help Moony. Not like this. _This was so much easier with Prongs. _He let out a small huff of annoyance. Moony was on his own now. Padfoot turned around slowly and hobbled to the edge of the forest. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all stood there, identical looks of concern on each of their faces. He wagged his tail slightly.

"Padfoot" Harry breathed in relief as he limped into view. Padfoot growled as he approached and transformed back to his human form.

He was suddenly aware quite how long and deep the scratches on his face were, and quite how much they stung. "Stay out of the forest!" Sirius croaked as his leg trembled again. He put a hand on the large tree trunk next to him. "I don't know where Moony is, I couldn't follow him" Ron recoiled in fear, his eyes wide. Sirius could already tell that he was going to have to have a very long conversation with Ron about werewolves. "You should go inside," Sirius continued. "It isn't safe out here"

"I'm not leaving you here" Harry cried, rushing forward. Sirius held up a hand to stop him coming closer, but then almost immediately regretted it. His vision flickered and he felt his balance start to give in. He quickly grabbed hold of the tree trunk with his other hand as well. His leg, or rather his thigh, felt more painful than ever. "You need help Sirius"

Sirius snorted, his eyes still shut. He squinted at Harry, trying to stop the black edges encroach further on his vision. "I'm fine, I can handle a bit of blood," He smiled reassuringly at Hermione, who was watching blood stream from his leg with a look of horror on her face. "Besides, I can't really go anywhere," He felt himself sway again, and he hugged the tree even tighter. "Er, maybe one of you should go get Madam Pomfrey?"

Sirius shut his eyes again. "Ron's gone Sirius," Harry said uncertainly. There was a brief, awkward pause in which Sirius tried to ignore the increasing pain in his leg. Sirius cracked an eye open to look at Harry. His skin was pale, and he was shivering slightly, but there was a determined expression on his face. "Does it – Does it feel cold to you?"

Sirius felt like his heart had just dropped to his feet. It did feel cold, far colder than it had not five minutes ago. He shared a look with Harry, whose eyes widened in fear. Numerous black figures, all floating eerily above the ground, began to swoop into view. And then –

"_Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?"_

Ignoring the pain and his own lack of balance, Sirius drew his wand and limped forward. He gritted his teeth and glanced over at Harry, who had already pulled a terrified Hermione into the space between the two of them.

_The sound of fire eating through what had been a house. The groans of timber as it warped and collapsed. His own grief stricken scream. "No! James!"_

Sirius shook his head. He knew he had to try to remember something happy, but it wasn't proving easy. Something like Alex's voice, Kura's smile, or Matthew's giggle; but he was having trouble remembering any of that. He heard Harry attempt a patronus next to him. Sirius shook his head again. It was his job to protect Harry, not the other way around. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A brilliant white dog shot out of the end of his wand and circled the three of them, keeping the large gathering of dementors away from them. Sirius glanced down at his leg and winced. Poppy was going to have a field day when she saw him. His patronus flickered at the thought.

_The screams of the crowd, mingled with his own strangled cry as Harry plummeted to the ground._

As his patronus stilled, Sirius cursed. Dementors were his weakness. The chink in his proverbial armour. He supposed that it was only reasonable really, after Azkaban, and it didn't normally bother him, but right now, it seemed it was going to be their death sentence. He might be able to keep the Dementors at bay, for now, but he couldn't fight them off. They were trapped.

"_How should I know how a murderer thinks?"_

He hadn't however counted on Harry. Harry had been chanting the incantation nearly non-stop since the Dementors arrived, but he hadn't yet been truly successful. He'd only managed to produce a thin shield that lasted a few seconds. However, as soon as Sirius' patronus began to fade, Harry's voice suddenly became a shout.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Sirius winced at the sheer brightness of the stag that burst from Harry's wand. He could feel the strength radiating from it. Sirius smiled weakly, darkness beginning to reclaim his vision. "Prongs"

And then he fainted.

_**AN: I'm sorry about the length. That seemed like a good place to end the chapter, even if it is substantially shorter than normal. I'm aiming for 3000 words in the next chapter, which will go up next Sunday. **_

_**I'm not 100% sure I handled the confrontation between Moony and Padfoot right, so please let me know what you think?**_


	64. Chapter 64: Recoveries and Resignations

Harry Potter had always been a great lover of chocolate, but at this particular moment, he would have been quite happy to never see another piece in his life. That however, was not likely. Madam Pomfrey had given both he and Hermione blocks of chocolate so big that he had to break it with a hammer to eat it, and her eyes kept darting over to check that they were still eating. She'd given them both strict instructions to eat all of it, and Harry wasn't stupid enough to disobey her orders.

Ron however, who admittedly had been given a smaller block of chocolate, was eating his with gusto. He and Madam Pomfrey had arrived just as Sirius had fainted. Hermione had screamed as the auror had toppled to the floor and Harry had turned around in panic, his patronus, which had been scattering the dementors, flickering and dying as he lost concentration. Harry, who wasn't normally squeamish, had had to sit down very quickly and fight the urge to vomit. The blood pouring from Sirius' leg had not slowed, and it had taken Madam Pomfrey over an hour to stop the bleeding and seal the wound. Sirius was now lay in the bed next to him, peacefully sleeping.

"Did you know?" Ron asked suddenly. "That Professor Lupin is a werewolf?"

Harry looked at him. "I did, yes. He told me at Christmas"

Ron frowned. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

Harry frowned darkly at him. He had a horrible feeling where this was going. "He asked me not to tell anyone. He doesn't like people to know," _And if this is how people react when they know, I can see why. _"Does it matter? He's still Remus"

"But werewolves are dangerous Harry! They're dark creatures" Ron finally spluttered.

Hermione made a tiny noise of outrage. Harry's frown deepened. "It's Remus. You've known him since you were four. Has he ever done anything to suggest that he's dangerous?" Harry could see a red blush creep up Ron's ears, but Harry didn't stop. "This is why he doesn't tell people. He doesn't want to frighten them. Does that sound like a monster to you? It doesn't change who he is! He just has a furry little problem"

"I… No. But…"

"But what Ron?" Harry snarled, growing angrier as he spoke. "It's not like he chooses to be a werewolf!" Ron didn't say anything. "He's still Remus. He's still the man who used to make us hot chocolate in the middle of the night, the man who used to help us prank Sirius and then get away. That hasn't changed"

Ron looked at his hands. "I… I guess not. It's just weird to think that a werewolf's been running around the grounds all year"

"He's not dangerous Ron! He takes so many precautions," Harry paused grimly, thinking of the basement at home that Remus shut himself in. "We were only in danger tonight because we snuck out of the castle. It was our fault that he couldn't take his potion tonight" _Us and Pettigrew._

Harry shook his head quickly, trying to ignore the guilt bubbling in his stomach. His conscience had been screaming at him for over an hour, but it was only now that Harry knew why. It was his fault that Sirius was lay in the bed next to him with bandages wrapped around his leg, and it was his fault that Moony was loose in the forest. He knew some of the dangers that the forest posed, having run afoul of some of them in the past, and the thought of Moony running into any of them made his blood run cold.

"You can't tell anyone," Harry said suddenly, looking at both Ron and Hermione. "I need you to promise"

"I won't tell anyone" Hermione said immediately.

"The secret is safe with me" Ron answered. Harry smiled at him. That was one of the reasons why he was so glad that Ron was his best friend. He might put up a fuss, or say things that he shouldn't, but he always came through in the end.

OoOoOo

"HARRY!" That was the only warning Harry got as he stood next to Sirius bed the morning after the full moon, before something hit his legs at high speed. After nearly falling face-first onto Sirius' bed, much to the older man's amusement, Harry looked down. Kura had her arms wrapped around his legs, and was looking up at him beseechingly.

Harry swung her onto his hip. "You've got bigger since I last saw you. You're nearly too big for me to pick up"

Kura looked at him. "Well, I **am** five!"

Harry nodded solemnly. "And five is very big. You'll be at Hogwarts soon" Kura grinned broadly. She'd set fire to the garden last week, Sirius had told him. It hadn't been intentional obviously, but she'd seen a rather large spider on her swing, and she'd panicked. She'd screamed, and then as the garden burst into flames around her, screamed even louder. Sirius had rushed out to help her at such high speed that he'd nearly skidded into the burning eucalyptus.

"And I get a wand" Kura told him importantly. Harry nodded again. She rested her head on Harry's shoulder, and then, obviously remembering that they weren't just visiting Harry, turned to look at Sirius. She frowned. "Daddy, why are you still in bed?"

"Good question. You'll have to ask Madam Pomfrey," He leaned closer to the two of them, and Harry, recognising his cue, leaned closer so that Sirius could whisper, "She won't let me out of bed. I think she thinks I'm fragile"

Harry snorted as he dropped Kura next to Sirius. She promptly threw her arms around his neck. "Or she just thinks you're an idiot"

Harry heard a laugh behind him and he turned around before Sirius could do more than scowl at him. Alex was stood behind him, a thirteen-month-old Matthew in her arms. "He knows you too well Sirius"

Sirius gasped dramatically. "Oh, you wound me with your cruel words"

"Cruel but true," Harry retorted quietly. Sirius scowled at him. "You are an idiot"

"I take offence at that"

Alex raised her eyebrows at him. "So you mean you wouldn't run off to the forest to look for Remus as soon as you were allowed out of bed?"

Sirius frowned, but didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The answer was written all across his face. Remus was his best friend, and there wasn't anything that Sirius wouldn't do for his friend. "Has no-one even looked for Remus?"

Harry smiled slightly. Sirius was so predictable. Hence why asking the matron about Remus had been his first priority. "Professor Dumbledore's gone to get him. Apparently, he has a hunch where he'll be"

OoOoOo

"Well, I couldn't corrupt them both" Harry said nonchalantly as Sirius beamed at Matthew.

Sirius scowled at him. "No, you couldn't. Matthew's obviously more loyal than Kura"

Harry laughed. "S'not my fault that she recognised my superiority"

Sirius scoffed. Despite Sirius' efforts for it to be otherwise, Kura's first word had been 'Harry'. Or rather, something that sounded enough like Harry for his face to split into the biggest grin he thought he'd ever had on his face. Harry had a suspicion that it was his reaction that had left Sirius so lost for words. He was probably meant to have been annoyed that his daughter's first word hadn't been 'dada', but instead he'd just smiled at Harry's joy. That however, did not stop it being a topic that was brought up every now and then to tease the other. Especially now that Matthew's first word had been 'dada'. Followed very quickly by 'cat', but Sirius refused to talk about that.

"Superiority? At what?" The teasing tone of his voice faded as he looked away from Harry and Matthew. His grey eyes fixed on the bed occupied by Remus. "How is he?"

"Madam Pomfrey has healed all his wounds, but he's not awake," Harry said quietly. The image of the bloodstained and broken Remus that Professor Dumbledore had brought in an hour ago seemed to be seared in his mind. He was quite sure he'd have nightmares about it. He'd never seen what the moon did to Remus; but now he had seen it, he wished he hadn't. It was horrific. Remus was the stable one, the one that was always there, and to see him like this shook Harry to the core.

"He'll be alright Harry," Sirius said. "He's very resilient. He used to look far worse when we were students," Harry stared at him, aghast. How could anybody survive that? "I told you before that's why we became animagi. So he wouldn't have to go it alone"

Harry nodded slowly. "But he was alone when he transformed at home. Was he not-?"

"Injured? Yes, he was," Sirius answered grimly. "I've gotten rather good at healing charms"

Harry's eyes widened. Until Remus had come to Hogwarts, he'd believed what Remus and Sirius had told him (that Remus was ill and that it flared up every few weeks). Having now seen the effect of the moon, he couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed anything before. He supposed that was testament to their skill at keeping that particular secret. Or at least that was what he had told himself since Christmas whenever he felt exceptionally stupid.

There was a long pause as Harry thought about what Sirius had just said. "Sirius," Harry murmured, conscious that both Alex and Madam Pomfrey were in the room with them. "Will you help me learn to become an animagi?"

Multiple expressions flickered over Sirius' face. Surprise, followed by worry and then pride. "Well, I can't see the harm in giving you a few of the books that we used," Harry grinned and Sirius turned stern. "You can't tell anyone. Not even Remus. He'd lose it"

A ghost of a smile flickered over Harry's face. Remus got angry about rule breaking of any sort, he'd probably implode if he knew that Harry was willingly breaking a law. "You will?"

Sirius paused. "I can give you the books, and some advice but I can't do anything more. The rest has to come from you," He paused again, and looked straight into Harry's eyes. "It takes a lot of work, and it is not easy. Are you sure you can deal with that?"

Harry nodded firmly. He'd already made his mind up, and nothing was going to change it.

OoOoOo

Harry raced up the staircase, barely waiting for it to stop moving. It was two days after the full moon and both Sirius and Remus had been let out of the Hospital Wing. They'd both assured him that they were fine and not to worry, so Harry had taken Cho for a picnic on the grounds. Everything had been going well, until Cho had mentioned Remus. Harry had immediately prepared to leap to his defence, but Cho hadn't said anything about the moon. Instead, she'd relayed a rumour that Remus was about to resign. Harry's first reaction was to scoff and laugh it off, but then he'd remembered the look on Remus' face when he'd told him to 'go enjoy the castle'. Harry suddenly wasn't so sure. He'd given Cho a brief farewell kiss on the cheek, and had then sprinted to the castle.

He skidded to a halt when he reached the defence classroom. The door to Remus' classroom was ajar and Harry could hear banging and scraping. With a mounting sense of dread, Harry ran up the stairs. He froze in the doorway. "Cho was right. You have resigned"

Remus appeared in the doorway to his private quarters, dragging a small suitcase with him. "Ah, Harry. I wondered when you'd appear"

Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Remus sounded almost relieved. "But – but you can't resign! You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had"

"Given your track record, that's hardly an achievement," Remus said wryly, smiling slightly at Harry's outrage. The smile dropped off his face when he continued. "I could have killed you last night. The only reason I didn't was because of Sirius, and look what I did to him!"

"That wasn't your fault!" Harry said quickly.

Remus shook his head slightly. "Doesn't matter. I put you all in danger and I won't… I can't do that again"

Harry looked at him. Sirius had told him yesterday that Remus had long ago decided that he was dangerous, and that he wouldn't listen to anyone who said otherwise. He'd said it had taken him weeks to fully convince Remus to live with them, and that even now Remus still had doubts. More so now that Kura and Matthew were there as well.

Harry scuffed his feet angrily as Remus continued. "I've made up my mind Harry. I can't risk something like that happening again," He paused and dropped into a faded armchair. "Teaching here is something I never thought would happen. I think Dumbledore's taken enough risks for me, don't you?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Does anybody know?"

"A few people. Enough that Dumbledore has been receiving complaints," Remus said darkly. "Of course, he takes most of the letters as compliments, but that's beside the point. If more people knew, I don't think the headmaster could keep ignoring the matter. No, it is better that I resign before anything else happens"

Harry watched him run his hand through his hair tiredly and stare blankly around the room that for nearly a year had been his home. Harry knew that teaching at Hogwarts was something of a dream come true for Remus, and he was probably far more frustrated than he let on that his condition was forcing him to relinquish it. But Harry also knew that Remus would never willingly admit that. He'd much rather suffer in silence, convinced that nobody else could understand him. For such a clever man, he could be rather stupid at times.

OoOoOo

The news of Remus' resignation did not go down well with the students. Most of the students anyway. A few of the Slytherins, Malfoy included, had disliked him from the start and were glad to see him go, but most students were saddened by the news. Remus' kindness, patience and passion for his subject had very quickly earned him the honour of being most people's favourite professor. His compassion and his ability to reassure even the most scared or stressed of students hadn't hurt either. Which was why Harry had been bombarded with questions ever since he'd left the safety of his curtained four-poster bed.

"You know," Harry said angrily as he flopped down next to Ron and Hermione under an oak tree. "It would have been nice if he could have stayed long enough to make his own excuses. Instead of making me do it"

Ron and Hermione looked at him awkwardly. As he obviously could not reveal the true reason for Remus' departure, Harry had been forced to lie to the concerned students who had been flocking to him all morning. It made him feel incredibly guilty. "Or he could actually tell the truth for once" Harry added sulkily.

"But you know why he can't do that Harry" Hermione said reasonably. Ron looked at him awkwardly again. He had apologised for his outburst, and Harry had forgiven him. Harry was willing to put it behind them, after all similar thoughts had raced through his mind when Remus had told him, but Ron still felt awkward.

Harry frowned. He knew exactly why Remus wouldn't tell the truth, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. "I just really hate lying to most of the castle"

Hermione looked at the lake, where the Giant Squid was basking in the shallows. "Yes, well," She said distantly. "Sometimes lies are necessary"

She continued to stare at the lake, completely oblivious to the shared look between Harry and Ron. Silence fell between the three friends, until Ron obviously couldn't take it anymore. "Are you going to explain or not?"

Hermione turned around, a pensive expression on her face. "I was sworn to secrecy, Ron," She scowled at him. "But, I suppose I can tell you now as I've given it back. I've been using a time turner to get to class"

Harry's mouth dropped. "And the ministry just let you?"

"They took a lot of persuading," Hermione said. "But now that I've dropped Muggle Studies, I don't need it anymore"

"I never understood why you bothered taking Muggle Studies, you're Muggle born! You don't need to learn how eckeltricity works" Ron said.

Harry stifled a laugh. "I think the only one who needs to take it is you" He added in an undertone. Thankfully nobody heard him, as Ron had turned the conversation to the upcoming World Cup, which Sirius had already announced that he'd got tickets for.

After three years of three headed dogs, murderous plants, poisonous basilisks, mass murderers and the ever looming threat of Voldemort, not to mention arguments, new babies and the most boring punishments known to man, Harry was looking forward to just being a normal thirteen year old this summer.

_**The End**_

_**First, I'd like to thank every single person who has read, alerted, favourited and reviewed this story. It never fails to make me smile when I get an email from **_

_**Secondly, I really hope you've all enjoyed this – I know I've enjoyed writing it. But please, I'm always looking to improve, and I will be going back and changing/ updating the earlier chapters, so if there's any issues you've noticed please let me know.**_

_**Thirdly, I don't know when Embers of War will be updated, but it will be. I'm not abandoning it, updates might just be a little slower. I'm going away for three weeks in November, so I'd like to get an update by then, but that isn't a promise. **_

_**Fourth, I actually want to ask you guys about Harry's animagus. Originally, I wasn't going to have him become an animagi, but that seems quite popular. Is this still true? Also, what form do you guys think he'd be? I always thought it'd be the same as his patronus, but now I'm not so sure. Help?**_

_**Thanks for letting me tell you a story. Please review**_


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